Coal Country Women, Part 2 of 3

This week on From the Vault we present the second part of a three-part series called Coal Country Women, a documentary exploring the lives of Appalachian women in the 1970’s – as wives and mothers of miners, as miners themselves, and on life in mining country. Part Two, Occupation Coal Miner, surveys female miners on experiences ranging from job discrimination, sexual harassment, and workplace hazards, to the ongoing struggle to balance family time against demands of rotating shift work in the mines.

The original program was produced in 1980 by Mary Kasamatsu, with funds provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, through National Public Radio’s Satellite Program Development Fund. Technical assistance was provided by Moira Rankin and Sharon Shapiro, with editorial assistance from Paul Datmond.

In 2016, this recording was preserved and made available for broadcast thanks to a grant from the NHPRC at the National Archives, and is part of the collection American Women Making History and Culture: 1963-1982.


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