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My impression, gained from discussions on other websites, was that there were young girls, if not women, working underground in coal mines as late as the General Strike of the 1920s. They worked pushing mine cars of coal to the shaft bottom, particularly in Scotland, if these correspondents are correct. Does anyone have any documentation of this, or are these old wives' tales? Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2002 17:52:10 +0000 From: John Colby <[log in to unmask]> Subject: First female underground worker in Britain for 159 years Mine employs first woman pit worker for 159 years Britain has its first female pit worker for 159 years. Australian Jillian Wright , 26, is working down Clipstone Colliery in Nottinghamshire as a roof engineer. A change in the law 10 years ago repealed 19th Century legislation banning women from pits. Ms Wright told the Daily Express: "Attitudes are different in Australia, where many women are currently occupied in mining operations once considered solely for men." Stuart Oliver, of her employer, UK Coal, says: "Jillian is a real expert in her field. The fact she's female doesn't make a bit of difference in her eyes, and that's how we view it too." From http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_498271.html