Summary
Overview
This Planet Money episode explores the true story behind the 1980 film '9 to 5,' revealing how it emerged from a real labor movement started by secretaries in Boston. The episode traces the connection between the movie's workplace reforms and an actual organization fighting for clerical workers' rights, examining both the cultural impact and the lingering workplace inequalities that persist decades later.
The Movie Itself: A Comedy of Workplace Revolution
The 1980 film follows three office workers—played by Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton in her film debut—who accidentally kidnap their sexist boss and take over the company. While he's tied up, they implement progressive reforms including flexible hours, equal pay, a daycare center, and job-sharing programs. When the boss is freed and his superior visits, he takes credit for all the changes, though the equal pay reform is immediately rejected. The film used comedy to address serious workplace issues like sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
- The film stars Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton in her debut role
- The plot involves the women getting high and fantasizing about killing their boss, then accidentally tying him up
- While running the company, they implement flexible hours, daycare, equal pay, and job-sharing
- The boss takes credit for all the improvements when freed, but equal pay is rejected
" This is just the beginning. And here's to the beginning. "
The Genesis of 9 to 5: From Activism to Office Work
Karen Nussbaum, a Vietnam War protester in the 1970s, took a clerical job to support her activism during a time when millions of women were entering the workforce. After the war ended, she began noticing the casual sexism and workplace inequities in office culture. Her friendship with Jane Fonda, forged during anti-war protests, would eventually bridge activism and Hollywood, transforming workplace complaints into a cultural phenomenon.
- Karen Nussbaum was active in the anti-war and women's movements, working as a clerical worker to support her activism
- In the 1970s, 12 million women entered the labor force, with 18 million becoming clerical workers by decade's end
- The most typical worker in America was actually a woman at a keyboard, not a man in a hard hat
- Karen met Jane Fonda at an anti-war conference, leading to a partnership protesting the Vietnam War
" If you ask somebody who was a typical worker in America, they most likely say a man in a hard hat. But in fact, literally, the most typical worker in America was a woman at a keyboard. "
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