Originally written for Bad Housekeeping (November 2013), read it here.
My favourite television programme is Coronation Street. At first glance, it may seem like this show is an irrelevant relic with no connection to modern day feminism at all, but I believe that beneath its perceived dusty exterior there are some very interesting gender politics. The show was created in 1960 in a deliberate attempt to portray the lives of northern, working class people previously unseen on television.
Tony Warren, the show’s creator, featured women at the forefront of the soap from the very beginning. The strong, multi-dimensional characters of Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner, present in the first episode, became iconic and were the first realistic representations of working class women on television. This has been a constant feature of the cobbles over the years as the show is defined by its female characters – Hilda Ogden, Blanche Hunt, Bette Lynch, Liz MacDonald, Betty Williams, Rita Sullivan, Gail Platt, Tracy Barlow, Carla Connor and Tina McIntyre, to name a short few. All of these women could be considered to fit the “strong woman” trope, however they are not one-dimensional and frequently show vulnerability, humour and kindness.
Coronation Street regularly takes on serious feminist concerns in their story lines, in recent years alone they have covered issues such as abortion, rape and domestic violence committed by a female perpetrator. Admittedly it has to be said that often the way these topics are broached still have room for improvement – for instance, women on the soap who have or consider abortion are consistently demonised by the other characters – but showing issues like this on television opens up a discussion around them.
The rape story line of 2011 between Carla Connor and her then-fiancé Frank Foster drew an average of nine million viewers during its run, and, more importantly, led to an 800% spike in the number of rape cases reported to the police, particularly in cases where the rapist was known to the victim (which account for around 90% of rapes in the UK). This unbelievable, completely unprecedented rise shows that Coronation Street, far from being an insignificant piece of fluff television, is incredibly influential and has the ability to enact real social change.
Alison King’s portrayal of Carla walked the knife edge between victim and survivor, showing that it is possible to be both vulnerable and strong in the aftermath of serious sexual assault, neither being a sign of weakness. The show gave an accurate portrayal of how rape is treated in real life, with several characters blaming or disbelieving Carla and the trial ending in an inevitable “not guilty” verdict, reflecting the sad fact that the current conviction rate for rape stagnates around 7%. This harsh realism was difficult to watch, but important as it shone a light on issues surrounding rape which many members of the public were previously unaware of.
Aside from story lines, the Corrie writers have also been ahead of other soaps in terms of representation. Older women, often ignored by mainstream media, are still present and active on the cobbles. Characters such as Rita, Audrey and Emily Bishop appear weekly and are frequently integral to major story lines, as well as forming strong bonds with other, younger characters. The supportive relationships between Audrey Roberts and her erstwhile grandson David Platt, and Rita Sullivan and Tina McIntyre have been crucial to several stories, portraying a strong message that older women are not to be sidelined and ridiculed.
Increasingly, Coronation Street has been improving their presentation of LGBT issues, notably with the introduction of Hayley Patterson (now Cropper), a transgender woman, in 1998. Initially only contracted for two months, Hayley has been a much loved fixture on the soap for fifteen years, and it is a testament to how loved she has become that makes the central story line of her diagnosis with terminal cancer all the more heartbreaking. Corrie writers have worked with trans* rights groups to ensure their portrayal is both sensitive and accurate, and have been praised for their handling of issues such as Hayley’s inability to marry or adopt children.
Her relationship with Roy Cropper has been incredibly strong and remains one of the most touching and closest on the street. After Roy and Hayley’s blessing in 1999 (in lieu of a legal ceremony), discussions began in the Labour government of how the UK could grant trans* people the rights they deserve and have been fighting for for decades. The Gender Recognition Act in 2004 came as a direct result of this, and it is certain that the sensitive, rather than hitherto sensationalist, portrayal of Hayley Cropper deserves a lot of credit for bringing the hardships faced by transgender people to public attention.
More recently, Coronation Street introduced their first lesbian relationship between Sophie Webster and Sian Powers in 2010. The difficulty of coming out and entering into a same-sex relationship as a teenager was dealt with with great sensitivity by the writers, receiving praise from both critics and gay rights groups. It has even been suggested that this story line helped young people come out to their parents, and for families to address and discuss sexuality in a more informed way. The audience took the pair to their heart and the story line culminated in a wedding (which, as this is a soap, sadly did not end in a marriage).
However, there are still areas in which their representation of different types of women leaves something to be desired. There are far fewer women of colour than white women present on the cobbles (similarly with the representation of men of colour) which, in modern day working class Salford, is clearly unrealistic and problematic. There are also some issues in the different ways male and female characters are received by viewers, Mary Taylor and Gail Platt-McIntyre as comedy characters are victims of much more hatred and vitriol than their male counterparts, Steve MacDonald and Norris Cole, who are seen as more comical than reviled, although arguably this is representative of wider public attitudes to women. I have such love and respect for the female characters of Coronation Street, and I hope that the writers continue to expand their representation of women for as long as the soap carries on.
