Voices from the Doll's House | Bella the Welder

Bella Keyzer grew up in Dundee, a city where the women worked for a pittance in the jute factories and most of the men were unemployed. When World War II started, Bella was ordered to the shipyards, where she became a highly skilled welder. However, despite being good at her job, Bella had to fight not only to be paid a fair wage but also to be allowed to keep doing the work she loved.

The Equal Pay Act came into force on 29 December 1975. After that date, it became illegal for either sex to be treated less favourably in terms of their pay or working conditions. However, as of 2010, the Fawcett Society states that women working full time are paid on average 17.1% less per hour than men for doing work of equivalent value.