In 1970, nearly half the women in the United States had paying jobs, but most were for low pay. Women were waitresses, clerks, and cleaning ladies. Less than five percent of lawyers were women. About three percent of police officers were women. In the iron mines of northern Minnesota, zero percent of the steelworkers were women. But in the mid-70s, women there began taking jobs running shovels, driving trucks, and operating enormous machines in the ore processing plants.

While women had worked in the mines before, most notably during the Second World War, this was the first time they competed directly with men for the same jobs. Some of the men tried to force the women miners out. Women were harassed, threatened, and even assaulted. "No Place for a Woman," a documentary from American RadioWorks, chronicles how the women miners of northern Minnesota fought back, and made legal history.

Use the documentary as a starting point for discussing labor history and the struggle for women's rights. Included in this month's feature are resources and lesson templates designed to help you connect the documentary with your history or reading curriculum. Each lesson template correlates with the Minnesota Graduation Standards. A note of warning: the program contains graphic language and descriptions. It may not be appropriate for students younger than the high school level.