Women Driving Trains: A History
Women first started out as DA’s, or drivers assistants, about forty years ago. The world was changing; the Equal Opportunities Act had just been enforced, and the workplace was getting shaken up. Drivers that had been around for a while were a bit stuck in their ways. They weren’t fond of most of the newer male DA’s, because they didn’t think they had the experience necessary to do well. Naturally, they weren’t thrilled about women doing the job either. In many cases, these older men just didn’t have experience working alongside a woman. They were a little nervous about the situation as a whole!
The whole situation was complicated by the fact that the times were a bit politically charged. Some women weren’t interested in doing a good job and only want to make a point. Because women were facing adversity, it took a strong person to get involved with driving trains.
The climate didn’t stay this way for too long. The 80s saw female drivers start to arrive on the scene. Over the years, things have only gotten better; it is not unusual to see women driving trains, although there are still not that many of them. London Underground, in particular, has tried to get more women drivers and has only had limited success. It is a male dominated profession, and that isn’t likely to change any time soon. However, women no longer face the same prejudice they did forty years ago. In fact, because women drivers are coveted in some locations, they may actually have an advantage in securing a position over their male counterparts.
Women can handle all the tasks that come along with driving a train. The most difficult part of it all is coupling and uncoupling locos. However, success in this task is not really determined by how strong you are. You simply have to get the hang of it, and then it is relatively easy to do. Women may also not like the toilet options or the hours; with a family at home, a mother may determine that there is a different job that suits her and her family’s needs a little better. About fifteen years ago, new legislation was introduced that makes employers think carefully about the schedules of parents with young children. However, this has not been that successful. Other workers are not going to be that happy if their colleagues get all the good routes and schedules, simply because they have children. Of course, one driver cannot be blatantly unkind to another driver, but such resentment usually doesn’t go unnoticed. Therefore, it is a tricky situation and may be the main reason why there aren’t more female drivers in the field.
If you’re interested in a life in rail then this piece from Primat may shed more light.