| Description | An interview with Lois GREEN, a single woman with no children, who is a Librarian & lecturer, born in Coventry and now living in Birmingham. Lois GREEN’s father was a Shop assistant, born in England and her mother a Shop assistant born in England. In the interview, she talks about …
'MS2255/2/056
GREEN, Lois, logged by Sonia Southern
01
I was born in Coventry in 1939, just before the war started. My parents were shop assistants and during the war her father went into the factories. She is one of twins.
02
“Coventry had been extensively bomb damaged”, gives a comparison between Coventry and Birmingham. She describes the type of stores in Birmingham such as Lewis’s and Greys.
03
Recalls the Christmas Grotto and Pets Corner at Lewis’s Department Store, where they sold monkeys and parrots.
30” Tells of how items were priced in guineas, so that the items sounded cheaper. Also how women’s sanitary products were never on display and they were hidden in a brown paper bag when purchased.
3.39” Change in style of furniture called G Plan furniture and buying sheet music if one liked a song, rather than a record.
04
“The idea of the teenager came out”, discusses how the teenager was developed when people had more money.
05
Description of the Art Gallery and Reference Library in Edmund Street and the procedure there.
3.30” Recalls the Bull Ring market and how it was very entertaining there.
4.56” Afternoon tea at Pattersons and Lyons.
06
Continues.
1.40” Talks of a lot of people coming to Birmingham from Coventry, for the health service, the shopping and the theatre.
2.00” Gives a description of the theatre and the outfits.
07
"There were a lot of specialists”, tells of the reason behind coming to Birmingham for health reasons. Lois was blind and she needed an operation.
3.00” 1945 - how her sight problems affected her schooling and her future career.
08
Describes having educated herself and becoming a librarian.
2.00” Talks of schooling at Stoke Lodge School in Coventry and the curriculum.
09
30” Tells how she was being prepared for a career rather than becoming a housewife.
1.18” Tells how the object at school was marriage.
10
Early 1960’s - working life in the Technical information Department at Girling Ltd, which was a brake manufacturers in Tyseley. Mentions clocking on and being taken over by Lucas.
11
Worked there between 1959-60.
12
History of technology e.g. data, microfilm and tells how computers came in around 1970.
2.35” Tells how office relationships were very staid, tells of the intelligence of secretaries and that you were not addressed by your Christian name and tells of a great smoking culture in the work place.
13
Tells of the difference between secretaries and other workers.
2.50” Talks of how a lot of men came over from Coventry and how there was no MOT in those days.
4.00” Relationships between men and women in the work place.
14
“I don’t think I experienced sexism at first”, talks of her experience of sexism.
15
The mid 60’s were the beginning of equal opportunities. There was men’s work and women’s work in respect of her working in a factory. Describes why she believes that women haven’t moved a lot further in equal opportunities.
3.50” Talks of getting a mortgage as a single woman.
16
Changes that occurred in her career.
1.11” Began teaching at Birmingham Polytechnic in 1972 and talks about the changes in generation between the 70s and 80s.
17
How Birmingham became a huge European City.
18
Discusses all the changes that have occurred in Birmingham City Centre.
19
Talks of living in Nuneaton and getting her first flat in Leamington and ending up living in Sutton Coldfield.
1.57” “I have to say on the subject of women that I think it is women driving cars that has freed them more than status and salary”…Talks of women driving in 1970’s.
3.00” Tells of how the locals of Sutton Coldfield are not happy to be classed as a part of Birmingham.
20
Concludes about Sutton Coldfield and its history.
21
Tells of the changes between 1972-98, between the student population and discusses ethnic minorities.
2.10 Discusses her religion as a Methodist local preacher and the Billy Graham Crusade at the Villa ground in the 1980s. Talks about being a part of Christians in Public Life group.
22
She expects Christian education to take place in the home.
2.20” Talks about her own church and the courses that they run.
3.08” Tells of belonging to Sutton Central Churches Trust and that they opened an old library centre, which helped reach out to the community.
23
“I don’t think single has the stigma that it had”, discusses the difference between single women in the war in comparison to contemporary society.
24
Birmingham in the past in comparison with today.
25
How people reacted to her having a disability and the stigma attached to disabled people working.
26
Concludes, telling of her aspirations for the future “I would like for disability not to be the most important thing about you”…
ENDS |