Oral history; Interview with Marie Rajotte, 2016
Main details
| Reference number | 2016/1742 |
|---|---|
| Description | Marie Rajotte speaks about her career at London Transport and contextualises it within the fight for gender equality and the role of the Women's staff network in supporting her. |
| Interviewee | Marie Rajotte |
| Dates | 18/02/2016 |
| Collection | |
| Object type |
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| Topics | |
| Completeness | 61% |
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Physical description
Item content Attribute Value Object title oral history interview with Marie Rajotte, 2016 -
Interview summary
MJ begins the interview talking about her background such as her parent’s professions and schooling. Her favourite subjects were English and English Literature [00:00:46]. MJ talks about her university education at University of Winnipeg, Canada but also studied in a finishing school in Switzerland [00:02:53]. MJ recounts the various jobs she had in her early life from unpacking boxes in a corner shop, as a child, hot dog stand, cleaning to working in an architect’s office in London [00:04:04]. MJ remarks that she first began working for London Regional Transport as a temp in 1989 where she worked in the accounts department [00:05:13]. MJ provides an anecdote about her department who came to her wedding and describes them as a family [00:09:36]. MJ mentions that she went onto work for London Travel Information Centres and was based at Liverpool Street, Euston and Kings Cross centres [00:09:59]. MJ mentions that she met some of the Coronation Street cast at Euston [00:12:00]. MJ mentions that she became a Travel Information Centre manager and talks about her favourite aspects of the job [00:13:35]. MJ mentions that in her profession the there was an unequal gender balance in favour of men [00:15:00]. MJ talks about the impact of the breakdown of her marriage on her job and her decision to undertake a secondment in the accounts department where her career initially started at TfL [00:17:21]. MJ talks about becoming a procurement administrator for the HR department in relation to acquiring non-permanent labour [18:27]. MJ talks about the women’s staff network group. MJ remarks that she has been part of the network since it started and comments that she joined it to help her breakdown of her marriage [00:19:46]. MJ comments that she is a committee member and co-runs the Women’s staff network book club [00:22:13]. MJ talks about the types of books that are read in the book club such as Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates and discussions they have about them. MJ also talks about the events run by the network for International Women’s Day at TfL [00:23:59]. MJ comments that the network is advertised on TfL internal intranet Source and is open to all TfL related workers including the bus companies and Cross rail [00:25:56]. MJ talks about the increased diversity in the workforce in TfL in regard to Women in positions traditionally occupied by Men and states that her department is 50% women, 50% men. MJ also remarks on workplace sexism and how the women’s network have helped women to deal with sexism through the years [00:28:02] -
People involved
Role Person(s) involved Interviewer Stephen Barry, 18/02/2016Interviewee Marie Rajotte