changing role and status of women

Question 1

representation of the people act 1918?

Answer 1

enfranchised married women over 30, but men had the vote at 21.

Question 2

represenration of the people act 1928?

Answer 2

enfranchised women on the same terms as men.

Question 3

how did world war benefit the progression of women in the workplace?

Answer 3

they had to step up and fill in for the men at war. there were thousands of female drivers, signallers and auxiliaries. 1918 there was over 1 million women working in the industrial force - chemical and metal industries alone.

Question 4

what happened after the war

Answer 4

these gains were overturned, when the men returned the women jobs were taken and given to men, which forced many women out of the workplace.

Question 5

what was “women’s work” ?

Answer 5

working as service maid, cook, or cleaner was the largest source of employment for women during the twentieth century. - opportunities elsewhere were limited due to lack of education and prejudice.

Question 6

what wasthe only big opportunities for working class women to earn a living?

Answer 6

light labour manufacturing - poorly paid and much worse off pay wise in comparison of men.

Question 7

who led the suffrage campaign that led to the representation of the peoples act
?

Answer 7

middle class women such as Emily Pankhurst .

Question 8

did middle class women benefit after the war?

Answer 8

to some extent - there was a sex disqualification act passed in 1919 which prevented barring from a career in law or the civil service on the basis of gender.

Question 9

did middle class women really become equal?

Answer 9

no, in 1931 there was 3,000 female medical practioners and 130,000 female nurses.

Question 10

women in politics?

Answer 10

15 female MP’s in 1931 - however they werent aloud to eat lunch om the house of Lords dinning room.

• 150,000 females joined the labour party in 1918-1924.

Question 11

women in WW2?

Answer 11

demands for total war - meaning more artillery -

• 1944 80,000 women worked on farms for the womens land army
• women’s volunteering service.

Question 12

what economic advancement took place for women during 1945 - 51? in particular regarding the marriage bar?

Answer 12

businesses usually disposed of working women when they got married this stopped in some areas of the working industry including

• the teaching proffession in 1944
• the civil service in 1946

however women still teneded to leave their job when they got married due to the stigma around women with a career being seen as failed in maternal / domestic life.

Question 13

economic advancement in 1951- 79?

Answer 13

the end of the marriage bar led to more and more women staying in employment for longer.

Question 14

when was the equal pay act?

Answer 14

1970 - put in place by the labour party which made unequal pay for the same job illegal.

Question 15

when was the sex discrimination act?

Answer 15

1975 - labour party enforced this to investigate into sexual harrasment ( using tribunals) and preventing gender discrimination.

Question 16

was the sex discrimination act beneficial for women?

Answer 16

yes as it made discrimination based on sex illegal, however people still continued to disobey this legislation.

Question 17

political advancement 1945 - 1979?

Answer 17

number of female mp’s remained constant at 20 - 30 from 1951 - 1979 - this was mainly due to prejudice and wide spread belief that women would be too busy with domestic duties to fulfil the role of an mp.

Question 18

who was A.P. Herbert?

Answer 18

he was a lawyer who in 1934 pointed out the absurdities of the divorce law:
- an unhappy married couple could not obtain a divorce based on mutual consent, there had to be an inccidence of assult or adultry.
he succeeded when capaigning against the divorce law and in 1937 matrimonial causes act - this allowed for a divorce also based on if they had been deserted for three years.

Question 19

what happened in 1921 regarding birth control?

Answer 19

doctor Marie stopes founded the first birth control clinic in London. Health proffessionals who directed women to Stope’s birth control clinics were sacked,

Question 20

what was the opinions of clergy men on the clinics?

Answer 20

they condemend them as filthy and unnatural and many doctors were equally critical.

Question 21

how did the labour party react to the birth control clinics?

Answer 21

in 1927 the demanded that funded from local authorities stopped going to the clinics. - however local governement argued that it was essential that they oculd fund the clinics. - in 1930 it was acceptable for a mother who already had one child and second could damage her health to go to a clinic.

Question 22

what happened in 1930 for married couples and birth control?

Answer 22

they were allowed to use birth control methods by the church of England, however the Catholic church didnt allow it.

Question 23

how come working class women didn’t benefit from both control in the 1930’s?

Answer 23

because if they weren’t covered by the national health insurance they didn’t benefit from contreceptive advice.

Question 24

what were “flappers”

Answer 24

after ww2 women lost there husbands grew up in the 20’s without a husband, this lead to a new found freedome, dressing in shorter skirts, enjoying dancing, smoking, drinking and being promiscuous.

Question 25

how did life change for women during the great depresison?

Answer 25

• they ate less in order to feed their children and husbands

Question 26

what did women start to feel like during the 50’s ?

Answer 26

they felt isolated and discontent with their role as a housewife. - 60% of women addmitted feelings of boredom,frustration and loneliness. reasons for this may include

• growth of a consumer society
• expansion of leisure time
• improvements in educational opportunities
• women having far greater choice.

Question 27

how did advertising help shape the perceptions of women during the 50’s?

Answer 27

they were portrayed as the “housewife” controller of the domestic sphere. - however during the explosion of new labour saving device causing the role of women also to be purchasing items led to huge popularity and sales.

Question 28

when was the contreceptive pill introduced for married women?

Answer 28

1961 - within a decade over a million people were using the pill. this gave women more freedom over their own body.

Question 29

what did the legalising of the contreceptive pill cuase?

Answer 29

women were having less children by 1970’s

Question 30

when was abortion decriminalised?

Answer 30

1967 - many people were in favour of abortion as back street abortions could lead to death.

Question 31

what happened regarding family life through out the 60’s?

Answer 31

the household became less patriarchal.

Question 32

when did growing female activism kick in ?

Answer 32

1970’s Miss World beauty contests protests began - protesters throgu flower bombs at the male judges.

Question 33

what did Erin Pizzey create in the earlu 70’s?

Answer 33

centres for victims of domestic violence. - her work and support for women in Cheswick led to the raised awareness that led to the establishment of the Domestic violence and Matrimonial proceedings act - 1976 which allowed injuctionns against anyone who assulted their spouses.

Question 34

when was the first rape centre introduced?

Answer 34

1973