15.1 Changes in working opportunities and living standards

Question 1

What happened to unemployment and real wages during the depression?

Answer 1

Unemployment reached 3 million by 1931 yet real wages increased in value and there was a general and ‘genuine’ increase in living standards.

Question 2

What was the impact of the growth on household appliances?

Answer 2

Buying electrical goods became cheaper improving the life for women as some of the burden of housework was removed.

Question 3

How did the nature of urban communities change after the depression?

Answer 3

There was a movement from inner cities to suburbs with new private housing with electricity, indoor toilets and hot running water

Question 4

What did Rowntree’s 1936 York poverty survey?

Answer 4

Improvement overall

• ¾ of unemployed families lived in poverty
• Baseline increase; 3-shilling for semi-luxuries like beer
• Proportion of York’s population in primary/secondary poverty had fallen from 28% -> 18%

Question 5

What happened to consumer spending in the 1930’s?

Answer 5

As there were lower prices this led to higher real wages and increased consumer spending

• Women bought cosmetics
• More money to spend on entertainment like cinemas