Housewives and Nimble Fingers, Gender Segregation in the Norwegian Photofinishing Industry in the 1960s
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
8-3-2025 1:20 PM
Description
Anja Hysvær Langgåt, Curator and photo historian, Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, Oslo, Norway
Housewives and Nimble Fingers, Gender Segregation in the Norwegian Photofinishing Industry in the 1960s
During the 1960s, Norwegian amateur photographers adopted colour film on a massive scale. The shift required the establishment of photofinishers equipped with automated developing and copying. To cope with the increased volume of colour prints, the industry needed more workers. However, Norway suffered from labour shortage, especially in areas that traditionally employed women. Women represented 80 % of the workforce on the assembly line in the Norwegian photofinishing industry. In the post-war period, also referred to as “the Era of the housewife”, there was a decrease in female labour force participation due to the growing perception that a married woman should be a housewife. The solution for the Norwegian photofinishers was to establish a “housewife shift” in the afternoon. This allowed housewives to maintain responsibility for housework chores, as well as satisfying the photofinishers need for extra workforce. The photofinishing industry had a variable workload throughout the year, which made the arrangement a cost-efficient solution. The housewife shift required no formal training, it was low-paid, part-time and temporary.
Based on interviews and photographs, this paper applies theories of sexual division of labour and nimble fingers, to discuss how exponential growth in colour photography among Norwegian amateur photographers in the 1960s relied on gender segregation and gender stereotypes in the Norwegian photofinishing industry. The paper will also draw on research connecting femininity, domesticity, and photography in the 19th century.
Anja Hysvær Langgåt is a curator and photo historian at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, with a master’s degree in history. Anja’s main fields of interests are the photofinishing industry, environmental history, colour photography, and marketing.
Relational Format
Conference proceeding
Recommended Citation
Langgåt, Anja Hysvær, "Housewives and Nimble Fingers, Gender Segregation in the Norwegian Photofinishing Industry in the 1960s" (2025). Women of Photography: A 24-Hour Conference-a-thon Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025. 39.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/womenofphotography/2025/schedule/39
Housewives and Nimble Fingers, Gender Segregation in the Norwegian Photofinishing Industry in the 1960s
Anja Hysvær Langgåt, Curator and photo historian, Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, Oslo, Norway
Housewives and Nimble Fingers, Gender Segregation in the Norwegian Photofinishing Industry in the 1960s
During the 1960s, Norwegian amateur photographers adopted colour film on a massive scale. The shift required the establishment of photofinishers equipped with automated developing and copying. To cope with the increased volume of colour prints, the industry needed more workers. However, Norway suffered from labour shortage, especially in areas that traditionally employed women. Women represented 80 % of the workforce on the assembly line in the Norwegian photofinishing industry. In the post-war period, also referred to as “the Era of the housewife”, there was a decrease in female labour force participation due to the growing perception that a married woman should be a housewife. The solution for the Norwegian photofinishers was to establish a “housewife shift” in the afternoon. This allowed housewives to maintain responsibility for housework chores, as well as satisfying the photofinishers need for extra workforce. The photofinishing industry had a variable workload throughout the year, which made the arrangement a cost-efficient solution. The housewife shift required no formal training, it was low-paid, part-time and temporary.
Based on interviews and photographs, this paper applies theories of sexual division of labour and nimble fingers, to discuss how exponential growth in colour photography among Norwegian amateur photographers in the 1960s relied on gender segregation and gender stereotypes in the Norwegian photofinishing industry. The paper will also draw on research connecting femininity, domesticity, and photography in the 19th century.
Anja Hysvær Langgåt is a curator and photo historian at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, with a master’s degree in history. Anja’s main fields of interests are the photofinishing industry, environmental history, colour photography, and marketing.
Comments
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