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Not Just Pin Money: Selected Essays on the History of Women's Work in British Columbia

ABOUT "Not Just Pin Money: Selected Essays on the History of Women's Work in British Columbia", edited by Barbara K. Latham and Roberta J. Pazdro. Published by Camosun College, 1984. ISBN: 0-9691844-0-9. This book has been published with the assistance of the Barrie and Deedee Wigmore Foundation, The British Columbia Heritage Trust, The Canadian Studies Bureau of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges and The Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation. RIGHTS INFORMATION All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means without permission in writing from the editors, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. SUMMARY "Not Just Pin Money", unlike many collections of conference papers, has a clearly defined focus and remarkable coherence. Most of the essays are concerned either directly or indirectly with women's labour: both unpaid in the home and community and paid in the labour force. Furthermore, because of the overlap in organizations, personalities, issues and purposes examined, the papers tend to form a unified whole. Though it has a clearly defined focus, this book covers a wide range of topics. The topics touch on a wide variety of disciplines: history, anthropology, psychology, sociology and education. In contrast to many studies of women's history in Canada, this volume does not restrict itself to an analysis of reform and suffrage movements. Five articles on First Nations and Asian women serve a particularly important function in broadening our knowledge of B.C. women's experiences. Some of the papers such as the thumbnail sketches of the twenty-three women who held or still hold seats in the B.C. Legislature are simple reference tools. Other essays examine the significance to women of such agencies and organizations as the Rescue Home for Chinese Girls, Queen Mary's Coronation Hostel, UBC Ladies Lit, Vancouver Women's Clubs, Women's Institutes, Girl Guides, Industrial Home for Girls, Vancouver Telephone Operators' Local, IWA Ladies' Auxiliary, Graduate Nurses Association of B.C., Victorian Order of Nurses and the B.C. Women's Service Corps. "Not Just Pin Money" is not a definitive historical account of women's work experiences in B.C. Contributors tend to focus on the lives of middle-class rather than working-class women. Though they touch on many aspects of women's labour, much of the attention is given to voluntary or political work. NB: This volume was published in 1984, so contents reflect information up to that date. This summary is based on a review of the book by Arlene Tigar McLaren, published in BC Studies, Summer 1985.
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