The BBC and the value of women’s labour, 1930–1950: Isa Benzie and Joanna Spicer.

Abstract

BBC administrative and personnel documents often refer to the ‘value’ that an employee brought to the organisation, both positive and negative. While not inherently gender-based, these evaluations could have a gendered dimension. Specifically, the introduction of a Marriage Bar in 1932 established the notion of the ‘exceptional’ woman who was worthy of keeping her job with ‘special value’ part of the criteria for retention. This paper considers ‘value’ in the context of two ‘exceptional’ women – Isa Benzie and Joanna Spicer – from the mid-1930s to 1950, encompassing their years at the BBC and also with the Ministry of Information (MOI)’s Broadcasting Division during the Second World War. Benzie, who achieved the status of BBC Foreign Director in 1933, held a senior role at the MOI before returning to the BBC in 1943 in a lower capacity as a Talks Producer. Joanna Spicer, a former Selfridge’s administrator, became frustrated with her more junior MOI post and moved to the BBC’s Overseas Department in 1941, motivated by the prospect of better pay and career prospects. The wartime and post-war experiences of Benzie and Spicer encapsulate a host of gendered issues including professional status, pay grades, job titles and advancement.