Movie Analysis: Made In Dagenham

Made in Dagenham
Student’s Name:
Institution:
Made in Dagenham
Introduction
Leadership and equality have been changing over the course of time. The film, Made in Dagenham is explorative in nature, revealing the working conditions for women in the late 1960s. The film explores the changes the changing roles of women in the traditional setting, revealing their potential and the role that they played in leadership, leading to reforms for the working women.
Summary
Made in Dagenham is a film released in 2010. Directed by Nigel Cole, the British film is based on a true story, exploring the changes that came about for working women as a result of labor law reforms. Starring is Rita O’Grady, played by Sally Hawkins, who leads women in a strike at the Ford Plant at Dagenham. The women are sewing machinists, but are paid less than the men. They set out on strike, protesting against sexual discrimination and calling for equal pay. The strike gains a lot of public attention as known to be silent, and speaking against the ills of society in the way that they were at that moment was new to the world. They defied the norms, going against their role as primary caretakers of the home (Coppock, Haydon & Richter, 2010). This strike led to the Equal pay Act of 1970. This paper discusses the leadership context in the film. It discusses how the women played leadership roles and how these roles evolved over time. It explores the historical context and the transformation of the leader over the course of the movie.

Analysis
The leader that emerged in the film is Rita O’Grady, who was steered forward by Union representative, Albert. The women at that time were regarded as unskilled, as opposed to their male counterparts who were categorized as semi-skilled and did the same work. Albert tells them that the only way for them to progress if they take forward their claims through industrial action. They agree on a one day strike and overtime ban. Set in the background of 1968 at the Dagenham Ford Car Plant, East London, the women sew seat covers in a building with roof leaks, and that is probably too hot, as they are seen stripping down to their underwear as they workCITATION Nig10 l 1089 (Kalsen & Woolley, 2010) The leadership role of O’Grady is influenced by the conditions of the working women, and their desire to be represented as equals to men doing the same work.
Rita made several sacrifices as can be seen in the film. She reached a point where she did not have the time to take care of her family. Her husband has to take the children to school and stay at home in her absence. She sacrificed her wages for the good of the course they were fighting for, and even her fridge is carried because she failed to pay HP. The leader and her followers had a close-knit relationship, from when she was unanimously elected by her colleagues. Even Connie, her close friend, backs her up to be the official leader of the movement. She is closely followed by Lisa, the wife of Ford Manager, who is a history graduate from a good school but is treated as a fool by her husband. She encourages Rita by telling her that she always make history and tells her to go on with her movement, telling Rita not to let her down.
Some of the pivotal scenes in which leader emergence is seen are where the ladies unanimously elect Rita to go for the meeting at Ford Headquarters in Warley, together with the shop steward, Connie. Leader emergence is also seen where she is meeting with Albert, and he tells her that he needs someone to lead the girls and inspire them CITATION Nig10 l 1089 (Kalsen & Woolley, 2010). This shows that her confidence, as the theory of leadership suggests has enabled her to be chosen in a leaderless group (Ayman & Korabik, 2010). Certain events, at this point in the movie, have happened, shaping her skills, character and leadership values (Boston & O’Grady, 2015). Through the above examples, leader emergence in the case of Rita is understood.
She made use of charisma and persuasion in several ways, for example, when she explains to the officials the skills involved in the work they do, and why they should be considered semi-skilled. She uses her charisma to stand up for the women, as opposed to just nodding as she was instructed to do. She also displays charisma in Liverpool, where she tells the women that it is time to stand up for their rights and asking all those in favor to put their hands in the air, to which they agree unanimously. She further shows her influence and charisma when she convinces Connie to go with her to the meeting down at the union. She reminds Connie that she has a life to live beyond GeorgeCITATION Nig10 l 1089 (Kalsen & Woolley, 2010). Connie finally agrees to her proposal. She is also charismatic in her speech at the conference hall in Eastbourne, where she manages to convince the delegates to take their side in the strike.
Another leader that could have possibly substituted Rita is Connie, as she is the shop representative, but she has a sick husband, who later commits suicide. This is a sad occurrence, but when she comes to terms with it, she refocuses on strike together with Rita. The leader, Rita, transformed in various ways, from a worker at the Dagenham Ford Company to radicalized member of the union, fighting for rights of women. She rose to take up a leadership position, leading her colleagues to an all-out strike that led to the Equal Pay Act of 1970.
Conclusion
Made in Dagenham is a film worth watching, with an interesting twist of events to highlight the plight of working women in the ‘60s and how collective effort brought about positive changes for working women. The film successfully reveals what it was like to be a working woman in the ’60s and explores the wave of change that came with the strike at Dagenham.
References
Ayman, R., & Korabik, K. (2010). Leadership: Why gender and culture matter. American Psychologist, 65(3), 157.
Boston, S., & O’Grady, F. (2015). Women workers and the trade unions. Lawrence & Wishart.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Kalsen, E., Woolley, S. (Producers), Ivory, W. (Writer), & Cole, N. (Director). (2010). Made in Dagenham [Motion Picture]. Britain: Paramout Pictures. Retrieved November 20, 2016
Coppock, V., Haydon, D., & Richter, I. (2014). The illusions of post-feminism: New women, old myths. Routledge.