1990s social issues Flashcards
describe the AIDs crisis and attitudes towards gay people:
-Dianna had been photographed shaking hands with aids patients
-much more education in this decade to break down the stigma
-contraception now seen also as a way of protecting against STIs - free condoms available
-emergence of gay rights PGs e.g. Outrage! which used direct action to pressure gov. into improving gay rights, Stonewall took gay rights cases to ECHR - Ian Mckellen celeb was a member
but.. evidence that there was not complete change:
-ban on homosexuality in armed forces
-section 28 remained, which banned promotion of homosexuality by local authorities
-criticism of labour councils for funding support groups for HIV sufferers
evidence of progress:
-age of consent lowered for gay men in 1994 to 18 - BUT still not equality as the age for heterosexual coupes was 16
-British social attitudes survey - ‘sex between 2 adults of the same sex is wrong’ - in 1987 75% of adults agreed with this however by 1998 50% agreed
-divorce rates increased
-12% of children born to unmarried parents in early 80s increased to 30% but early 90s
-child support agency set up 1993
BUT evidence of a lack of progress:
-peter Lilley speech at tory party conference 1992 - ‘i have a little list’
-mary whitehouse still active - led to 1994 video recording act which led to classifications e.g. U, PG etc
give 2 famous girl bands and how they helped change views:
- riot grrl
-3rd wave feminism
-challenged normative discourse and stereotypes
-looked at feminism through different inter-sections e.g. gender, race, sexuality - spice girls
-espoused values of independence, self-sufficiency and fun
-positive role models in the media
position of women in society:
-1990s = birth of ‘ladettes’ e.g. Zoe Ball - leading female presenters
-Betty Boothroyd became first female speaker of HoC in 1992
-rape within marriage criminalised in 1994
-first ordination of a female priest 1994
-by 1993 68% of women of working age were employed - big shift
-by 1996 half of those employed were women - beginning of women being in a range of industries
-married women gained their own tax status so they now had some financial independence - idea of the ‘male breadwinner’ began to be challenged
but limitations to the position of women:
-no legislation in place to stop employers from paying female employees less
-only 2 female cabinet ministers under Major - none under Thatcher
extent to which the establishment was challenged:
-3 of the queen’s kids were divorced - public outraged - suggested society was still socially conservative
-high profile affairs e.g. Diana and Dodi
-windsor castle fire 1992 - controversy that tax payers had to fund it being rebuilt
-general public beginning to question the royal family in general
-Diana’s death a week after Blair became PM - speculations about circumstances - Queen criticised for appearing cold and uncaring
describe young british artists:
-prominent artists that challenged norms = Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, Tracey Emin
-all exhibited at 1997 Sensation Exhibition
-they had a forward looking approach, and pushed boundaries with themes and materials
describe the rave scene:
-e.g. 40,000 gathered at Castlemorton in 1992
-moral panic over association with ecstasy - society still conservative?
-led to Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 - police could shut down illegal raves
describe environmentalism:
-key figure = swampy the eco warrior
-beginning of activists using new methods e.g. blocking roads, tunnelling
-more of a broad cross section of people involved in activism
describe race relations:
-no race relations legislation in 1990s
-slightly more BAME MPs in parliament but still highly unrepresentative with instances of discrimination e.g. MP John Taylor lost his seat in 1992
-Stephen Lawrence murder 1993 - revealed institutional racism within police
-Satanic Verses 1988 - considered by many British muslims as sacriligious - Iran’s religious leader ordered British muslims to murder Rushdie
