Gendered identities in British regions in wartime: Women in reserved occupations in glasgow and clydeside in the second world war

This article focuses on women working in reserved occupations in Glasgow and Clydeside during the Second World War, including their feelings of contribution to the war effort, self-fulfilment in work and, in some cases, dislike of work and lack of attachment to the war effort. The article also examines the extent to which wartime work represented continuity in the lives of working women in the region, and discusses the relationships of such women with men in their local communities, where social and cultural discourse was inextricably intertwined with the realities and discourses of day-to-day existence. One argument presented is that women’s wartime work in Clydeside was representative of renegotiated relationships with the men in their communities rather than destabilising masculinity. The argument is put forward that, as well as the changes represented by war, the day-to-day life of women’s immediate local vicinities and the uniquely industrial and working class background of Clydeside were enduring influences on their subjectivities and everyday behaviour. The article therefore adds to the historiography relating to life on the home front in the Second World War by exploring the subjectivities of reserved women in the context of the communities where they lived and worked.