Changing work opportunities and conditions 1939-79 Flashcards
Summary of WW2 Employment Opportunities
- Move towards full employment (‘total war’)
- More women in the workplace
- Better work conditions- better healthcare, longer hours but better wages
- Control of Employment Act
- Essential Work Order
How were there more employment opportunities in new industries?
Kids used to follow their parents into the same job eg the mine, textile mill. But now there were more white-collar and technological jobs in electronics, light engineering and consumer goods and more managers were needed.
Work in factories
- By 1956, over 500k ppl were employed in production of motor vehicles or components
- Repetitive work but excellent pay:
£8.30/week in 1951 to £15.35 in 1961, then to £30.93 by 1971
In context of increasing prices, how great were the factory wages in comparison?
Between 1955-1969, retail prices rose by 63% but weekly wage rates rose 88%. With overtime, this rose to 130%.
Ppl could buy more w/their £- as tech and mass production developed, the cost of consumer items like TV sets fell
After WW2, why was there particular growth in the ‘white collar’ industry?
- Ppl tended to have more income- fuelled more demand for ‘luxury’ goods/services which created more jobs
- More govt spending on healthcare+education created more jobs
- White-collar jobs difficult to mechanise, so weren’t lost to tech advances as much as blue-collar job.s
How was the position of women changing due to greater opportunities in the workplace?
By late 50s it was clear♀were becoming increasingly dissatisfied w/trad roles as housewives and wanted to enter the workplace- this cultural change was supported by legislation
- What was the effect of the Equal Pay Act 1970?
2. What was the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975?
- Made it theoretically illegal to offer ♀lower pay for the same job
- Made it illegal for men to not hire someone simply because they were a ♀
In terms of the workplace, how was the Race Relations Act of 1976 important?
Offering more employment protection for BAME members of the community.
What cultural changes in the workplace created more jobs in the service sector?
Holidaying became much more important due to affordability- allowed for more leisure and travel opportunities, esp. w/motorways after 1960
What economic changes in the workplace created more employment opportunities and how?
Development of light manufacturing in South and Midlands meant there were new job opportunities + a need for more managers and ‘white collar’ jobs- more ppl had access to these due to better education.
How were the employment opportunities of the South not reflected in the North of England?
Decline of heavy industry in 1970s meant there were less job opportunities in North of England, South Wales, and the West Midlands.
