Social 1951-1990
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- Created on: 02-01-18 09:49
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- Social 1951-1990
- Women
- Women in the 1950s
- very few women went to work after getting married
- women had been in work en masse during the war
- by the 1960s 80% factory work was done by women
- unusal for women to go to university; though more girls passed the 11+
- 1954 = 2/3 girls in grammar schools, so law to limit number of girls allowed
- women had to relinquish their jobs when men came back from war
- 1951 - 22% married women worked
- before the war 10% married women worked; 1961 30% married women worked
- disbanding of state-run nurseries in 1945 = women had to stay at home
- Family Allowance in 1946 - women stay at home
- housewife's day consisted of cleaning & washing with labour-intensive and ineffective machinery
- a 1950s survey by the Manchester Guardian found that 50% of housewives were bored
- washing machine, vacuum cleaner, fridges and supermarkets gave housewives more freedom
- establishment of the National Housewives Register in 1960 by Maureen Nicol
- 15,000 members by 1970
- chemicals & electronics & DVLA (1965) & NHS (1948) needed clerks, typists & part-time work - no need for men's strength
- Women in the 1960s & 1970s
- Abortion Act 1967
- previously 40,000 unmarried women sent to homes per year
- 100,000 illegal backstreet abortions
- 1959-62 poorly tested Thalidomide drug caused deformities
- gave women greater control over their bodies
- allowed up to 28 weeks
- Family Planning Act 1967
- had to provide guidance & contraceptives to everyone
- by 1970, 19% married women and 9% single women using it
- not everyone agreed (church)
- Divorce Reform Act 1969
- made a 'no fault' divorce possible
- by 1970, one in every two marriages ended in divorce
- number of divorces rose & as did the number of illegitimate births
- 5.8% 1960, 8.2% 1970
- new laws helped women escape difficult marriages
- Married Women's Property Act 1964
- allowed women to keep half the money they'd saved from housekeeping
- Matromonial Homes Act 1967
- recognised men and women had equal rights of occupation in the family home
- Matromonial Property Act 1970
- women's contribution was equal to making a home
- should be considered when dividing up property in divorce
- women's contribution was equal to making a home
- Guardianship of Children Act 1973
- mothers given equal rights to fathers over their children
- Feminism
- Local Women's Liberation groups began appearing in 1960s
- Feminist articles / books published eg Shrew magazine & Spare Rib
- Feb 1970 - first National Women's Liberation Conference at Ruskin College
- equal pay & equal opportunities legislation
- increased education & access to HE
- increased availability of jobs
- did make progress
- 1970 Equal Pay Act passed
- 1971 birth control pill made available on the NHS
- 1975 Employment Protection Act passed; Sex Discrimination Act passed; Equal Pay Act comes into force
- 1977 International Women's Day estd. by UN
- 1979 TUC publishes charter; 'Equality for Women Within Trade Unions'
- women's wages 57% - 70% of mens wages 1970-79
- State Earnings Related Pension Scheme 1975
- didn't make progress
- movement didn't have widespread support
- critical newspaper stories about feminists
- female nude 'page 3' model in 1970
- the Campaign for the Feminine Woman
- increasing organised opposition to the movement from both men and women
- 1960-1980 5% - 8% increase in female lawyers
- Abortion Act 1967
- Women in the 1950s
- Immigration
- Background
- before WW2, very few non-white people living permanently in the UK, but there were 2. million by 1971
- The Problem of Immigration
- 26,000 Caribbean citizens coming to UK per year in 1950s
- 1960-2 230,000 New Commonwealth citizens come to the UK
- Riots in 1958, Notting Hill & 1981 Brixton, Liverpool, Bristol and Birmingham
- proportion of UK population of non-European origin was never more than 6%
- there was more emigration than immigration
- today, intermarriage increasing; black role models; racial tolerance
- Race Relations in Cities
- post-war housing shortage blamed on immigrants
- competition in inner cities for housing & jobs between locals and immigrants
- bitterness at rise in rents because a group of blacks living together could afford them, but a single white could not
- whites believed immigrants attracted to Britain by generous welfare benefits
- Tightening Immigration Laws
- Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962; placed restrictions on would-be entrants according to ethnic origin and limited immigration through system of work permits
- labour introduced second Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968; both major parties concluded restrictions on immigration needed
- Race Relations Act 1965: outlawed discrimination based on 'the grounds of colour, race or ethnic or national origins' in public places
- how accepting was British Society?
- more accepting
- 1976 race Relations Act
- made racial discrimination illegal I employment
- made it illegal to use threatening / abusive language to incite racial violence & criminal offences
- commission for Racial Equality to ensure enforcement of the Act
- National Front was never widely accepted & by the end of the 1970s support decreased - 1974 ITV documentary series 'This Week'
- 1979 party was almost bankrupt after putting forward 303 candidates that were all beaten due to opposition parties eg Anti-Nazi League
- 1976 Notting Hill Carnival
- resistance to police arresting black teenagers said to be pickpockets
- 1978 Rock Against Racism organised demonstration in London
- 80,000 people marched & it made holding racist opinions deeply unfashionable amongst young people
- TV started to see more black people eg Lenny Henry. 'Crossroads' and 1974 ITV's 'Tomorrow People'
- West Indian music became popular in the UK & there were multiracial bands eg 'The Equals' & 'The Foundations'
- Famous bands such as 'The Beatles', 'The Clash' & 'The Police' created reggae - influenced music
- 1976 race Relations Act
- less accepting
- problems with the 1976 Race Relations Act
- didn't cover govt. jobs
- no money for poor victims to take legal action
- little accurate data to show there was indirect discrimination
- National Front
- campaigned to deport West Indian & Asian immigrants
- 1976 it had 20,000 members
- Feb 1974 put up 90 candidates
- 1977 4th largest political party in the UK
- August 1977 'Battle of Lewisham
- left-wing Socialist Workers party members attacked the National Front
- 134 people needed hospital treatment
- 214 arrested
- Police were generally unsympathetic & took little interest in racial attacks, perhaps attacking immigrants themselves
- 1971 most police officers believed that black people were more likely to be criminals
- 1975 Special Patrol Group were sent to South London to target black muggers
- 14,000 people stopped & 400 arrested
- terrified immigrant communities
- black people generally faced discrimination& racist chants in sport
- at the end of the 1970s, 50 out of 2000 professional football players were black
- there was still racism in TV eg 'Rising Damp' and 'Mind Your Language'
- problems with the 1976 Race Relations Act
- more accepting
- Background
- Youth
- Development of Youth Culture 1950s
- early 1950s - Teddy Boys late 1950s - Rockers, then Mods
- Britain was slowly growing accustomed
- Crime
- Kray Twins - reputation for extreme violence
- more than doubled 1955-1965
- previously very law-abiding
- Mods v Rockers: Clacton, Brighton & Margate 1964. Vastly exaggerated by the media
- Mods: rode scooters, wore smart suits & listened to sophisticated pop
- Rockers: rode motorcycles, wore leather & listened to rock & roll
- Explanations of behaviour
- growing affluence: good wages - independence
- pockets of poverty (these people embittered)
- first teenagers not growing up in the Depression/ WW2
- didn't follow what their parents had done
- jobs and money not handed over to parents - no financial commitments
- wanted to throw off traditional restraints
- more freedom
- did more to enjoy themselves
- unwritten culture laws being rewritten
- Youth Culture 1960s and 1970s
- Rockers - Punks and Mods - Skinheads
- provocative; teens expressing themselves through music and fashion
- encouraged anarchy, riots and hooliganism
- SKINHEADS: working class version of mods
- closely cropped hairstyles, wore braces, rolled up jeans and DM boots
- listened to ska music influenced by West Indian reggae music
- fought at football matches & became involved in racially - motivated violence
- PUNKS: 'inexperienced youth' who were very aggressive
- brightly coloured cropped hair; mohicans / spiky hair; dog collars, nazi emblems, pins, studs, zips, leather & ******* gear
- took part in 'pogo-ing' at gigs, spitting & fighting
- gave equal importance to both female & male artists
- behaviour spilled over into 'hooliganism'
- 1977 Home International football match at Wembley Scotland v England
- 1978 FA Cup quarterfinal between Millwall & Ipswitch - dozens injured
- Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea fans on pitch 1975
- SKINHEADS: working class version of mods
- encouraged anarchy, riots and hooliganism
- rising unemployment. led to boredom & attracted youths to violent and nihilistic punk culture
- the Sex Pistols were the most notorious of the punk bands as they deliberately tried to be controversial
- 'God Save the Queen'; the barge; swearing on teatime TV
- punk movement started in USA in 1960s
- it was music played by people without particular skill in singing or playing an instrument
- it was deliberately provocative,attacked the Royal family, dead-end jobs, the police, war, anarchy, riots & consumerism
- it was about attitude
- provocative; teens expressing themselves through music and fashion
- modernism and satire allowed youth to disregard traditions - anti-establishment
- younger people had greater independence due to higher wages
- universities increased HE opportunities for men & women; 214,000 F & 302,000 M by 1975
- 1970s - 3x more unemployed than 1960s. 4/10 , 25 year olds out of work and 104,000 on benefits
- Open University gave more people access to HE
- Rockers - Punks and Mods - Skinheads
- Education
- by the Labour govt 1964, not enough emphasis on education and training in industry
- more training of young apprentices needed
- firms must spend more on training
- more training of young apprentices needed
- Brain Drain - graduates moving to the US fro money & opportunities
- Anthony Crossland - Education Secretary
- Published Circular 10/65
- famously quotes as saying 'I won't rest until I've destroyed every last &@*%£! grammar school in England'
- The Great Grammar School Debate
- the publication of Circular 10/65 in 1965 paved the way for the abolition of almost all grammar schools
- the comprehensive school system was introduced to replace 11+ selection seen by many at the time as unfair & old-fashioned
- the Wilson govt. was not the first or last govt. to abolish grammar schools, but did make it a priority
- The Robbins Report 1963 - predated Labour govt
- was accepted by both Cons and Labour
- it called for a doubling of university places; new universities were built in Warwick, East Anglia, York and Sussex
- 1969 Open University - Wilson later called it his proudest achievement as PM
- by the Labour govt 1964, not enough emphasis on education and training in industry
- Development of Youth Culture 1950s
- General
- 'Never had it so good'
- For
- wages rose ahead of prices; wages rose 6.5% 1948-58. Adult male wage £8.65 - £18.75 1969
- greater availability of credit; consumer boom began; foreign holidays, cars, clothing, mod con
- housing improved: 1951-54 300,000 per year; mortgages available - increased home ownership; 600,000+ houses built by 1951 and 1.7 million houses by 1964
- Clean Air Act 1956; London and other cities - better health following Great Smog 1952 that killed 12,000
- exported 29% more goods in the late 1950s than in 1951
- 10 million TV sets owned in 1960
- 1952-59 consumer expenditure rose by over 50%
- unemployment never more than 2%
- Against
- Inflation: tax cuts = increased consumer spending
- lack of genuine economic policy: stop-go economics and stagflation
- low GDP growth rate due to heavy defence expenditure (2.4% per annum)
- high unemployment
- education: divides between grammar, comprehensive and technical
- For
- Social Class 1950s-1960s
- class was becoming less important and classes began to shift and mingle together
- class divisions were weakened by the war
- the creation of the welfare state was an acknowledgment that the well-being of the whole population was a matter of national concern
- spread of wealth across the population led to increased affluence
- financial credit and its increasing availability meant that more people could buy possessions; therefore ceased to show wealth
- classes still existed and leaders were all from the upper classes
- rising living standards
- welfare state created; spread of wealth and rise in living standards
- Social Reforms
- Race Relations Acts 1965 & 1968
- Abortion Act 1967
- Sexual Offences Act 1967
- C-wealth Immigrants Act 1968
- Theatres Act 1968
- Abolition of the Death Penalty 1969
- Divorce Reform Act 1969
- Ending National Service
- young men no longer so regimented
- hair length grew - socially rebellious statement
- older forms of authority eg church or school were no longer so influential in society
- Censorship
- 1959 Obscene Publications Act
- 1960 Trail of Lady Chatterly's Lover
- Drugs
- Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act 1964 - amphetamines
- Dangerous Drugs Act 1967- heroin, cocaine & cannabis
- Rates of drug addiction rising faster in the UK than any other country worldwide
- 1960s Overall
- as death penalty abolished, majority verdicts in criminal trials introduced making it easier to get convictions
- increases in rates of STDs and five times more **** cases
- surveys in 1965, 1969 &1971 showed most young people not promiscuous - virgins or married to first and only sexual partner
- Mary Whitehouse
- set up 'Clean Up TV' campaign 1964
- had lots of support and made 300 speeches a year
- set up National Viewers and Listeners' Association in 1965
- set up 'Clean Up TV' campaign 1964
- Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' Speech
- caused a political storm - Heath sacked him from the Shadow Cabinet
- his political career was over - tipped as future Cons. leader
- mentor to young Margaret Thatcher - his economic ideas went on to influence her
- his political career was over - tipped as future Cons. leader
- London dockers went on strike to show support
- Powell now outside the political mainstream despite 74% of the population agreeing with his speech
- caused a political storm - Heath sacked him from the Shadow Cabinet
- Environment
- 1950-1973 often described as the 'long boom'
- prosperity, wages, living standards all improved dramatically across Western world, inc. UK
- mass consumerism spread to all levels of society as wages out-stripped prices
- prices of basic goods eg food & fuel fell leaving people with excess income for luxury spending on cars, holidays, homes & consumer items
- by 1970s, there was growing awareness of how industry was harming the environment
- pollution & waste were becoming major concerns
- environmental movement was created to stop pollution, nuclear power, whaling & other harmful industries
- also a rejection of western values of consumer society
- consumerism as a way of life was seen as unsustainable fro the planet & morally wrong when there was still so much global poverty
- also a rejection of western values of consumer society
- also a realisation that the earth's resources (eps. oil) were finite & being used too quickly
- Greenpeace began in the early 1970s to stop nuclear testing in the Pacific. it grew in to a major ecological pressure group of the 1970s & 80s
- Conservationism
- after the 1960s there was a backlash against modern architecture, tower blocks & motorways
- a growing conservation movement wanted to preserve old buildings, towns, monuments, beautiful countryside & even traditional beer
- the post-war optimistic belief that technology & modernisation's the answer to everything was now seriously questioned.
- Economic growth for its own sake was now being questioned
- 'Never had it so good'
- Women
- set up 'Clean Up TV' campaign 1964
- had lots of support and made 300 speeches a year
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