Adaptative icons

Reflections of the evolution of women's employment in the Spanish telephone business

Abstract

The telephone business developed an advanced public relations program at the beginning of the 20th century, with labor policy as one of its pillars. It was a labor-intensive business that was carried out in a less hostile physical environment than the factory, and employees enjoyed paternalistic social benefits. The promotion of the image of the companies as creators of quality jobs was one of the goals of the program. Advertisers created two icons of male and female types, the lineman and the telephone operator. These idealized representations entered the popular imagination and were assimilated by the workforce itself. The evolution of working, technological and social conditions are reflected in the changes embodied by these powerful visual constructions.