This is the first full length history of the National Federation of Women Workers - a pioneering, all-female trade union operating from 1906 to 1921. It centres on the leaders, organisers, activists and members throughout the regions of Britain who built and sustained the union. By focusing on strikes, disputes and branch life, Hunt provides vital details of the working lives of thousands of women workers in the early twentieth century. The Federation, led by the charismatic Mary Macarthur, was influential out of all proportion to its size and attracted brilliant women activists to its campaigns, many of whom became well known in British Labour politics. By highlighting grassroots activism as well as national leadership, this work brings fresh perspectives to trade union history, deepening our knowledge of women who, whilst living through the political and social upheavals of the First World War, knew the realities of women's work that was too often dominated by low pay, poor conditions and inequality.

This book is the first full length history of the all-female National Federation of Women Workers (1906-21) led by the gifted and charismatic Mary Macarthur. Its focus is on the people who made up this pioneering union - the organisers, activists and members who built branches and struggled to improve the lives of Britain's working women.

In 1921 the brilliant and charismatic trade union leader, Mary Macarthur, died aged 40. In her short life, her activism and leadership had been responsible for raising awareness of women's poor working conditions and encouraging them to speak out against injustice and inequality. Mary Macarthur is perhaps best known for the prominent part she played in the women chain makers' strike in Cradley Heath, Staffordshire in 1910. This heroic dispute ended with the women receiving the minimum wage that was theirs by right. It was a triumph, but by no means an isolated one. Mary Macarthur, as leader of the country's all-female general trade union, the National Federation of Women Workers, travelled the length and breadth of the country making sure that women were strengthened by better pay and working condition and union membership. This new account of her life seeks to understand what motivated this extraordinary individual and why she chose the path that she did, particularly at a time when it was still far from common for a middle-class woman to appear on public platforms. In other words, this is not just an account of Mary the union leader but of Mary the woman - of her travels and friendships, love and marriage, family and motherhood - explored within the context of her times.

Cathy Hunt examines the lives of Coventry women throughout one extraordinary century of change. The result of her detailed research is a book packed with stories of what it was like to be a woman between 1850 and 1950. During these years, women broke through barriers so that future generations of women might experience greater freedoms than had ever been possible for their mothers. Others offered their time and exceptional talents for the good of the community. The main focus of this engaging study is on the too often neglected details of women's daily lives, of triumphs and tragedies, changes and continuities, loves and losses. What was it like to grow up in Coventry, to go to its schools, to work in its offices, shops and factories? What were women's experiences of getting married, setting up home and raising children? How did women spend their scarce and precious leisure time? In other words, this is a book about the business of being a woman in this distinctive English Midlands city.