0:00:02 > 0:00:04ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS
0:00:04 > 0:00:08In the '80s, a new generation of women came of age.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Inspired by their dreams and ambitions,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13they would help revolutionise Wales.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16MUSIC CONTINUES
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Women were saying, "We're going out to work, we're going to earn
0:00:19 > 0:00:22"the money and we're going to have a say in what we do with our lives."
0:00:24 > 0:00:27In the '80s when I struggled with business, to be honest,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31the learning curve was more like a line, straight up.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34It was like I was learning so much every day.
0:00:34 > 0:00:40It empowered me, it enabled me and it gave me the courage
0:00:40 > 0:00:43to act on my convictions, that's what the '80s did for me.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49This is the extraordinary story of a decade that saw the emergence
0:00:49 > 0:00:52and empowerment of the New Woman.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55SYNTHESISER MUSIC PLAYS
0:01:01 > 0:01:05MUSIC: Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics
0:01:05 > 0:01:09In 1980s Wales, women looked to the future in a society
0:01:09 > 0:01:12with greater individual choice than ever before.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Their growing sense of independence meant
0:01:16 > 0:01:19they wanted much more from life than their mothers.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Whether married or not, if a woman wanted a career,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27she soon hit the glass ceiling in a male-dominated world.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31# Sweet dreams are made of this
0:01:31 > 0:01:34# Who am I to disagree?
0:01:34 > 0:01:36# I travel the world... #
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Even in the music industry,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41there were few women who made it to the top.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46But one of the most successful of the 1980s was our very own Bonnie Tyler.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49# Cos we'll never be wrong
0:01:49 > 0:01:53# Together we can take it to the end of the line
0:01:53 > 0:01:56# Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time
0:01:56 > 0:01:58# All of the time
0:01:58 > 0:02:02# I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
0:02:02 > 0:02:06# We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
0:02:06 > 0:02:08# I really need you tonight
0:02:08 > 0:02:11# Forever's going to start tonight...#
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I always loved music. Music was in our family.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17My mother was an incredible singer.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20She was an opera singer but she was so shy.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22There was no way that she would, you know...
0:02:22 > 0:02:24She'd face the wall if she sang.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26My mother always used to say to me when I was younger,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28"Believe in yourself and do it
0:02:28 > 0:02:30"because no-one else is going to do it for you."
0:02:30 > 0:02:33And I think I probably wanted more out of life than
0:02:33 > 0:02:36a lot of people in my mother's era,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39wanted children, a family.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41I wanted a career, you know?
0:02:41 > 0:02:44# I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
0:02:45 > 0:02:48# He's got to strong and he's got to be fast
0:02:48 > 0:02:52# And he's got to be fresh from the fight
0:02:52 > 0:02:54# I need a hero. #
0:02:54 > 0:02:56The powerful ballads of Bonnie Tyler provided
0:02:56 > 0:03:00a soundtrack for the life of the new woman and her independent spirit.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06After she married, Joy King worked as a barmaid in Swansea.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08I personally liked going to work.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10It got me out the house. You met people.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13I could buy my own clothes, my own perfume,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16my make-up, my shoes. Whatever I wanted,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I could go and buy because I had worked for it
0:03:19 > 0:03:24and that gave you a sense of independence and a bit of confidence, really.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28The pub trade was very kind to me, very good to me.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29You were really partying.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31You were being paid to party.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33It's just there was a bar between you,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36and we had wonderful times.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37You had theme nights.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39You know, we had French night and fancy dress
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and Halloween. Any excuse for a party, it was there.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45MUSIC: Girls Just Want To Have Fun by Cindi Lauper
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Women were exploring new ways of expressing their identity.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54# And girls, they wanna have fun
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Oh, girls just wanna have fun... #
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Power dressing and big hair became the fashion style that
0:04:02 > 0:04:03defined the decade.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09In the '80s, it was massive big shoulders,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12with the massive big curly hair.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Everybody thought I had a perm and that I caused the ozone
0:04:15 > 0:04:19layer with the lacquer, you know? But my hair was never permed.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21It was always kept shaggy
0:04:21 > 0:04:25and then it was loads of, you know, stiff gel
0:04:25 > 0:04:29and I used to scrunch it and I used to make it as big as possible, you know?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I used to love wearing the big padded leather jackets.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36It made me feel powerful
0:04:36 > 0:04:40and you felt you can compete with the boys.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45# Rosa had a lover on the shady side of town
0:04:45 > 0:04:48# Tito, he was king of the streets... #
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Wearing the right clothes
0:04:51 > 0:04:55instantly boosted women's confidence and authority.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Now they felt a match for any man,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01and they avidly followed the icons of the style.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06You had Joan Collins and Dynasty. Oh, we all loved it.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08And every garment you bought had shoulder pads.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13You'd buy a top and it had shoulder pads, you'd buy a jacket and it had shoulder pads.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15And I loved every moment of it.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I'd go to work dressed in a suit and a jacket.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Everybody did, and it was just absolutely wonderful.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Lady Diana then, she brought in the frilly blouse
0:05:28 > 0:05:30and the tux look and the black trousers.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Oh, well, that was it.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36I went out and bought the black trousers, the tux.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Up until then, you see, we'd always worn skirts.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Well, I felt I was the height of sophistication
0:05:43 > 0:05:48in this pie frill blouse. And Lady Di had a bow tie.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51And I think clothes made a statement.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55And, for me, if I looked good, then I felt good.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57And it gave me confidence.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01# Just a little divine intervention... #
0:06:01 > 0:06:05For the summer, I have a few silk dresses, which, again, are classics.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And they...they have to wear... we have to look after them.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14was another woman known for her power dressing.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Though divisive, she was an inspiration for many women,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21especially those in business, like Marianne Pettifore.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23I was very impressed with Maggie Thatcher.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Not necessarily her politics,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28I can't say I agreed with everything,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31but I definitely thought, if she could run a country,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34then why can't I run my own business?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Maggie Thatcher had assertive skills.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41She was not afraid to get up there and say what she thought
0:06:41 > 0:06:43and I knew I needed to do that.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46If I was going to run my own business, I needed those skills.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49I can remember the Chamber of Commerce meeting, the very first one
0:06:49 > 0:06:53I went to and, you know, there were just two women in there,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56another one came later so that made four of us
0:06:56 > 0:06:59and about 80 men. It was quite daunting.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Well, if I just sort of briefly explain to you...
0:07:03 > 0:07:06In the '80s, women were starting to get jobs undreamt of
0:07:06 > 0:07:08by their mothers' generation.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13Everything from selling computers to director of a training company.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Erm, you could have answered the telephone,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18"Good morning or good afternoon", instead of "Hello".
0:07:18 > 0:07:21They were exciting times for women with ambition.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Absolutely.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26In 1984, Sarla Langdon and her husband, Keith,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30took on running a free advertising newspaper in Swansea.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34She used her skill as a writer to attract new customers -
0:07:34 > 0:07:37small companies who needed to advertise their businesses.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38What I'd do is,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41I'd go to do the story on them.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44The advertising people would have sold the advertising and then
0:07:44 > 0:07:47I'd say we'll give them editorial, because we need to help these guys.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50These are the guys who are our tomorrow,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53so, cos I took an interest in them and wrote a story about them,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55the bond was created straight away.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58I did something nice for them.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Sarla Langdon saw an opportunity to advance her career
0:08:01 > 0:08:06as a marketing advisor and help local businesses at the same time.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08I got to know what department
0:08:08 > 0:08:13of the Welsh government could help them
0:08:13 > 0:08:17and I started making the links between the funders
0:08:17 > 0:08:19and advisors and businesses.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I started introducing them, so I was making sure
0:08:22 > 0:08:24they got to the right people.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Some of the businesses Sarla helped were run by women.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35She understood the pressures they were under, especially the mothers.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37If you could get back to me on that one.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40MUSIC: Breakout by Swing Out Sister
0:08:40 > 0:08:44# When explanations make no sense
0:08:44 > 0:08:47# When every answer's wrong... #
0:08:47 > 0:08:50We were taught, with all these pressures of domestic life,
0:08:50 > 0:08:54having to do everything yourself, look after children yourself,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57create a home and a household yourself,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01how do you have the time or the ability or the inclination
0:09:01 > 0:09:03to also start business?
0:09:04 > 0:09:05Hats off.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08These are some of the most courageous women you will ever meet.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11# The time has come to make or break
0:09:11 > 0:09:15# Move on, don't hesitate
0:09:15 > 0:09:17# Breakout
0:09:17 > 0:09:20# Don't stop to ask... #
0:09:20 > 0:09:23But, at the beginning of the '80s, many Welsh women
0:09:23 > 0:09:26were still full-time housewives, with children to look after,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30especially in the mining communities of the Valleys,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32where few jobs were available to women.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34CHILDREN PLAY
0:09:37 > 0:09:42Sian James married her coal miner husband, Martin, when she was 16.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44We grew up in a community
0:09:44 > 0:09:47where there was a very traditional role for women.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51My biggest challenge of the day was my brass, the cleanest brass.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Were my nets white and straight and ironed?
0:09:54 > 0:09:57And were the children going to school dressed immaculately?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00It was how other women judged you.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Those were the things that the other women
0:10:02 > 0:10:06in your community judged you on.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08There was some women in the Valleys, though,
0:10:08 > 0:10:09with other worries on their mind.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16By 1980, the Cold War had reached a critical point.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21NATO was fast developing a response to Soviet deployment
0:10:21 > 0:10:23of new nuclear missiles aimed at Europe.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28In June 1980, the government announced
0:10:28 > 0:10:31that 100 American cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads
0:10:31 > 0:10:34were to be based at RAF Greenham Common.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41CND activists were outraged and took to the streets.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Sue Lamb was a member of Rhonda CND.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49I couldn't lie to my children about something as fundamental as that,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52because I knew we were being threatened.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55That, if cruise missiles came into this country,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57then we were being put at increased risk.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03The women of Porth CND decided to stage a week-long demonstration
0:11:03 > 0:11:05in their own community.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10Sue Lamb and her three sisters were at the centre of events.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13We wanted to set up a camp in our own town,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16to advertise to the people locally,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19to bypass the newspapers, to bypass the television
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and just get straight to the people.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25So we went down and chained ourselves up,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27and it was amazing
0:11:27 > 0:11:30the amount of people that encouraged us and supported us.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37The women's peace camp at Greenham Common was started in 1981
0:11:37 > 0:11:41by a Welsh group who had walked from Cardiff -
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Women for Life on Earth.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47The aim was to stop the deployment of cruise missiles there.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48MUSIC: Over and Over Again
0:11:48 > 0:11:49# For the peace that they seek
0:11:49 > 0:11:52# Over and over again. #
0:11:52 > 0:11:56A year later, Sue and 13 other women at the camp
0:11:56 > 0:12:00decided to take their direct action a stage further.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02On the night of 27th August,
0:12:02 > 0:12:07they cut through the perimeter fence and occupied a sentry box.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11It was going in and occupying that sentry box.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15That was the big step, because you knew, when you were doing that,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19that we were really putting everything on the line.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23The group of women were arrested and later jailed for two weeks,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25but, for them, it was worth it.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29We opened up people's consciousness.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31We created a mass movement.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35I mean, we became part of what was a burgeoning movement,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37but we accelerated that.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42When we went to prison, we actually went to prison in November 1982.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46Now, one of the most famous episodes in the history of Greenham
0:12:46 > 0:12:48is the embrace the base.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53That was the key kick publicity that motivated people.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00On 12th December, 30,000 women came to Greenham Common
0:13:00 > 0:13:05in response to a chain letter, calling on them to embrace the base.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09They linked arms as they surrounded the entire nine miles
0:13:09 > 0:13:10of perimeter fence.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17When the women held hands, we really felt, you know,
0:13:17 > 0:13:22that the power of that could bring down that fence.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Being a part of it, I actually felt as if, you know,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27it's like Jericho - bring down the walls.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Despite the women's protest,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41cruise missiles were sited at Greenham Common,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44but were removed several years later,
0:13:44 > 0:13:45when the Cold War ended.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50THEY SHOUT
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Just as Greenham politicised the many women involved,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57so too did the miners' strike of 1984.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59SHOUTING
0:13:59 > 0:14:02You make sure you get that on the news tonight!
0:14:02 > 0:14:06With no wages coming in, families of striking miners
0:14:06 > 0:14:09found themselves on the breadline, struggling to survive.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Instinctively, wives, mothers and daughters came together
0:14:14 > 0:14:17to form support groups.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21For that year, we were truly a community that was working
0:14:21 > 0:14:25outside of the norms of society.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28We created our own alternative welfare state.
0:14:28 > 0:14:304, 6, 8...
0:14:30 > 0:14:32But there should be 7 or 8.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34I can't see for looking.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Yeah, I'm just saying, if they get a lump sum,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39they don't get social security, you can't spend it on luxuries...
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Often, discussions turned into debates about politics and feminism.
0:14:45 > 0:14:46For many women from the Valleys,
0:14:46 > 0:14:51this was a life-changing experience, made even more so
0:14:51 > 0:14:54when they travelled to other parts of Britain to promote the strike.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56THEY SING
0:14:56 > 0:15:00'You could see our awareness as women and about our own rights.'
0:15:00 > 0:15:05They were growing and by now we were meeting women from Greenham Common.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08We were meeting feminists from other, you know...
0:15:08 > 0:15:10lesbian and gay women.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12We were meeting people who were active
0:15:12 > 0:15:16within different trade unions, so we were being exposed to lots of
0:15:16 > 0:15:18different feminist ideas.
0:15:20 > 0:15:21All of this was happening, you know.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25There were all these different strands of our lives changing.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28So you were a mother, you were a wife,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30you were a political activist,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32you were a fundraiser,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35you were a debater.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38And we had this one massive thing in common -
0:15:38 > 0:15:40we all hated Margaret Thatcher.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42We detested her with a passion.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45# And you'll never
0:15:45 > 0:15:50# Walk alone
0:15:50 > 0:15:54# You'll never
0:15:54 > 0:15:58# Walk alone. #
0:15:58 > 0:16:00APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:16:01 > 0:16:04The strike turned out to be a long test of endurance
0:16:04 > 0:16:06for the mining communities.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11By early 1985, it was clear that the strike was coming to an end
0:16:11 > 0:16:14and the miners would not be the victors.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Those in debt were desperate to get back to work and normality,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24but there were some women in the Valleys with mixed feelings.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29For Sian James, there was no going back to being a housewife.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33I was afraid that I would be pushed back into that ordinary life
0:16:33 > 0:16:35that I had been quite happy with,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39but I knew I could never be happy with in the future.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I was really afraid about that.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47I'd been exposed to all these new ideas, new friends, new experiences
0:16:47 > 0:16:51and I just couldn't, at that point, see how I could continue it.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54I changed as a person, you know?
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I knew that there were different things that I could do,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01that I had skills that could be useful,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04or that my opinion was just as important
0:17:04 > 0:17:06as other people's opinions.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Many of the younger generation of mothers across Wales
0:17:12 > 0:17:17were rejecting the male dominance of family life.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20The opportunities they saw were very different to the traditional role
0:17:20 > 0:17:23of mam with children and a working husband to support.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Some even saw marriage itself as an obstacle to their ambitions.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36In the early '80s, Michele Ryan was a budding film-maker in Cardiff.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39I was a single parent.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41It was me and my son
0:17:41 > 0:17:46and I was just starting to embrace working in the media,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48because I'd been an independent film-maker
0:17:48 > 0:17:54and, as a woman, I had seen the impact of not having much power
0:17:54 > 0:17:56amongst my parent's generation.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02I was a single parent, because I didn't want to get married.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07So, for me, I felt like I had a degree of freedom
0:18:07 > 0:18:10and responsibility and control over my life...
0:18:11 > 0:18:14..which meant that I could...
0:18:15 > 0:18:17I could do things in the way I wanted to.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22In 1985, Michele Ryan was working
0:18:22 > 0:18:25with the women's film group in Pontypridd.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29They called themselves Red Flannel and named their first film Mam.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32It was a history of women in Wales.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48There's hardly ever any history of women on screen.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Women had contributed to the Valleys, to the history of Wales
0:18:52 > 0:18:54and where did you find it?
0:18:54 > 0:18:57We could hardly find anything when we decided to do Mam.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59We had to make it ourselves.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03We had to put those women on screen, because nobody had talked to them.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13It was all female crew.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16This was a film made by women, about women.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22We spent nearly a year recording women's voices
0:19:22 > 0:19:25from the Valleys, from the mining valleys.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29In the first instance, when we went, they would sort of say,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33"Oh, no. You need to interview my dad, or my husband, or my brother."
0:19:33 > 0:19:36You know? "Cos I just...
0:19:36 > 0:19:39"Well, I'm just a housewife".
0:19:39 > 0:19:42And, of course, they had amazing stories to tell.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Mam also included women's stories in the 1980s.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49We've got a community centre now, which we never had before,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51you know, somewhere actually to meet.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Women seem to get more isolated than men,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56because men tend to call in the club,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59but a lot of women don't. They've got the children, their young.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01You know, they just don't go anywhere.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Some of the women that appeared in Mam,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06a couple of them lived on this particular estate
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and they had never gone into the college,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12which was literally 100 yards away from where they lived.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15They'd never gone through the door. It was just too terrifying for them.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18By the end, not only had they gone into the college,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21but they'd started a tenants association,
0:20:21 > 0:20:26so a lot of them found confidence and employment
0:20:26 > 0:20:28through the work that we did.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Employment for women soared in the '80s,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38but, despite a few innovative schemes,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41childcare provision remained a major problem
0:20:41 > 0:20:42with those with a family.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Many young mothers wanted work with part-time hours.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It was an issue women in business understood well.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Marianne Pettifore and her friends
0:20:54 > 0:20:57started a recruitment agency in Swansea.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58My partner and I, Anne,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01we started a healthcare recruitment company
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and one of the challenges at the time was
0:21:04 > 0:21:06a lot of women had children and, therefore,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08could only work certain times.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10And everybody was different, like their husband would come home
0:21:10 > 0:21:14at five o'clock and they might be able to leave at half past five.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17So we set up a database with all these little quirky arrangements,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21like "only do a Friday afternoon, or I can work only weekends,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23"I can work nights, I can do two hours".
0:21:23 > 0:21:26And we were able to accommodate that.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30They were mainly women, because it was the caring profession
0:21:30 > 0:21:33and it was a wonderful feeling to be able to give them work
0:21:33 > 0:21:34week after week.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37And, as we got busier and took on contracts,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41some of them were in permanent positions and freer contracts
0:21:41 > 0:21:45and that gave Anne and I a lot of pleasure, you know?
0:21:45 > 0:21:48We felt that was very rewarding in itself.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50MUSIC: Find the Time by Five Star
0:21:50 > 0:21:54- # So find the time - Find the time...- #
0:21:54 > 0:21:57In their increasingly hectic lives,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59women were not only finding time for work.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01With money in their pockets,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04they wanted to enjoy a night out with the girls.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08This was in marked contrast to their mothers' generation.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11My generation had seen our mams
0:22:11 > 0:22:14tied to the kitchen sink.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15Erm...
0:22:15 > 0:22:19my mother would only go out once a week, shopping.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23My mother never went anywhere with my father socially at all.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24Many women didn't.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Women now could come into a pub unaccompanied.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33They could come in on their own and nobody would look at them.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37And now you had women going on girls nights out.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38MUSIC: Greased Lightnin'
0:22:41 > 0:22:44But, like many women, Joy found going out with her friends
0:22:44 > 0:22:47caused friction with her husband.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52I no longer felt now that I had to seek permission for this
0:22:52 > 0:22:54or seek permission for that
0:22:54 > 0:22:57and, now and again, perhaps he would say,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01"You're going out with the girls? Oh, really?"
0:23:01 > 0:23:04And it didn't always sit very easily.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08You see, a lot of men looked at the way their mums and dads were
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and you'd get, "My mother would never do that".
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Well, his mother never had the opportunity to do it.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16My mother wouldn't have done that.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18My mother was always there for my father.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20"My mother did this. My mother did that".
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Well, those days were long gone.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24You didn't wear the crossover pinny
0:23:24 > 0:23:27and Donkey the doorstep anymore.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30There were far more exciting things to do.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34# ..and never brought to mind
0:23:34 > 0:23:38# Should auld acquaintance be forgot
0:23:38 > 0:23:40# In days... #
0:23:40 > 0:23:42As women strived to better their lives,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45there could be consequences for their marriages.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49In the '80s, divorce in Wales was on the increase,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53often an outcome of women's' desire for greater independence.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54MUSIC: Into the Groove by Madonna
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Marianne Pettifore's ambition to expand her business
0:23:57 > 0:23:59broke up her marriage.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04I changed and, unfortunately, that had a price.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07You're not quite the person you were before.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10The other thing that was a problem for me was
0:24:10 > 0:24:12coming home maybe with...
0:24:12 > 0:24:15having a lift with several men, businessmen,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17from a network, who'd say, "I'll drop you off".
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Well, this caused trouble with the partner, my husband.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24You know, it's very difficult to work in a one-gender vacuum.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26You can't just work with women,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28you are going to come into contact with men.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30And, very often, some of these events were quite late
0:24:30 > 0:24:35in the evening, but I had to have a presence there.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38So, once you start being in all these business networks,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40I'm afraid the home life took a toll
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and, eventually, my marriage ended.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47And it ended because the woman he married
0:24:47 > 0:24:49had changed, unfortunately.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57A dedication to her work could affect a woman's life in other ways.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Late childbirth became increasingly common for women
0:25:00 > 0:25:02caught up in the pursuit of their career.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09In the late '80s Bonnie Tyler, then 39,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and her manager husband Robert,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13were drawing breath after her seventh album
0:25:13 > 0:25:16was not the success they hoped for.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20At that time, it was a quiet-ish time for me
0:25:20 > 0:25:22and so...
0:25:22 > 0:25:24We'd always put off having children,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26because it was all so busy, busy, busy.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30And it just felt the right time for us, you know?
0:25:30 > 0:25:35And so we started to try for a baby then, you know?
0:25:35 > 0:25:37We stopped all precautions and...
0:25:37 > 0:25:40and I caught almost straight away.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41It was unbelievable.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44And I was pregnant for only, like,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46three months or something.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48And, unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Bonnie lost her baby and never conceived again,
0:25:55 > 0:25:59but her faith helped her cope with this personal tragedy.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01It's like God telling me,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04"Yes, you can have children, but it's not for you."
0:26:04 > 0:26:08You know? And, believe it or not, it helped me immensely.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16In the '80s, men were becoming more sensitive
0:26:16 > 0:26:20to the needs and aspirations of their wives.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23After Sian James managed to get a place at Swansea University
0:26:23 > 0:26:27as a mature student to read for a degree in Welsh,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29her husband, Martin, came up with a solution
0:26:29 > 0:26:33for the care of their children, even though he still worked as a miner.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38This meant that Martin had to basically do three years of nights,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40while I was in university.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Really, the strike, you know, supporting him doing the strike,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45we did that as a family together.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46We sat down and we said,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49"Right, we're in this together, as a family", from day one,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54and I think we saw university as an investment in our future.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59We saw getting a degree and getting a good job at the end of it
0:26:59 > 0:27:01as a positive thing for our family.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06After graduating, Sian James became involved
0:27:06 > 0:27:08in women's rights campaigns
0:27:08 > 0:27:11and later was elected Labour MP for Swansea East.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22By the end of the decade, women across Wales,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25whatever their background, were reaping the benefits
0:27:25 > 0:27:27of a newfound independence.
0:27:29 > 0:27:30Women were saying,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33"We're going out to work, we're going to earn the money
0:27:33 > 0:27:36"and we're going to have a say in what we do with our lives.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38"And we just want to be equal to men."
0:27:40 > 0:27:43If success, for you, is bringing up your family,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45then that's success.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48If it's one day a week in a shop, that's success.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51If it's running a huge company, then that's success.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55But we're not all about chasing that corporate dream, you know?
0:27:57 > 0:27:58Women had changed.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00The women were getting more confident,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02the women wanted more of a stake.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06And, as much as I hated Margaret Thatcher as a political figure,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09you had to say, look, she was leading a bunch of men,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11why not me?
0:28:11 > 0:28:12We can all do it.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18The '80s gave me
0:28:18 > 0:28:20a sense of who I was.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22It empowered me.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26It enabled me and it gave me the courage
0:28:26 > 0:28:27to act on my convictions.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29That's what the '80s did for me.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33And it changed my life, as a result.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36MUSIC: The Power by Snap!
0:28:37 > 0:28:40The new woman had come of age
0:28:40 > 0:28:43and she was not going back.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45# I've got the power! #
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Next time, we look at extreme personal challenges
0:28:49 > 0:28:53in a decade defined by conflict and celebrity.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54# Power! #
0:29:13 > 0:29:14# I've got the power! #