9 to 5 is a movie which depicts three working womens' troubles with their sexist boss. After fantasizing about getting revenge on their boss, Mr. Hart, in various, humorous ways, they eventually do get their revenge by discovering his embezzlement of company inventory. They hold him hostage for three weeks while they can get the proof of his bad deeds. In their boss' absence, the women make changes in the office which are not only woman-friendly, but increase productivity and are reconized by the Chairman of the Board.
The movie looks at the many issues that working women encounter through its three main characters. Violet is a highly-qualified, dedicated employee, but she hits the "glass-ceiling." She is denied a promotion explicitly because she is a woman. She is also degraded at work, being asked to get coffee, run errands, and do things that are not included in her job title.
Doralee is Mr. Hart's secretary. Mr. Hart completely objectifies her by making inappropriate comments about her body and purposefully knocking things off his desk so he can check her out. He buys her gifts, and even attempts to assault her. She repeatedly tells him that his comments are unwelcome, and that she is a married woman. Despite her objections, Mr. Hart continues with his harassment. Because of his treamtent of her, Doralee is disliked in the office because it is believed that she is having an affair with him.
Judy is a recently divorced homemaker whose husband left her for his secretary. Judy initially faces several difficulties because she has had no job experience. The phenomenon of the displaced homemaker was relatively common around this time. Because women were not expected to enter the workforce, many women didn't have the education or skills necessary to have a well-paying job.
In the end, the women suceed in having their boss sent to Brazil, where he is subsequently kidnapped by Amazons. Violet succeeds in becoming Vice President of the company. Judy falls in love and marries the Xerox rep., and Doralee becomes a Country singer.
I thought the movie was a mixed bag. On the one hand, it raised most of the major feminist issues regarding the workplace, including on-site daycare, sexual harassment, the glass-cieling, and pay equity. By showcasing how the addressing of these issues improves workplace quality and performance, it lets the audience know that these are not only the right thing to do, but the feasible thing to do.
On the other hand, the women who accomplished these important goals recieve no recognition. They treated Frank's 'promotion' and subsequent shipping off as a success. That's something of an empty success. I also had issues with the acts of revenge the women took on their boss. Of course it was done for comedic effect, but it has the effect of making feminists themselves look bad. If feminists are willing to hold their boss hostage, fire guns at him, hog tie him, and even attempt to cover up deaths, then they are not going to win much favor with the general population, least of all men. It turns the fight for equality in the workplace into a series of scare tactics, as if to say "You better listen to feminists... or else."
The movie was funny, but the darkness of where the humor comes from was probably not the most appropriate considering the seriousness of the effect of those issues on real women's lives.