Women on the Line by Donna Jean Mayne, 2001 In the early 1900s, women at Ford Motor Company of Canada were relegated mainly to clerical positions. In 1915, the magneto winding room was the only factory floor department that employed “girls”. The women depicted here are winding and soldering spools of copper which, along with mica, steel, cotton, varnish, and lead, were used to build magnetos, vital components of early ignition systems. While the magneto disappeared long ago as technology advanced, the contributions of women have increased significantly. Today, women are employed in every facet of vehicle production.