Context Flashcards
What were attitudes like towards men and women in the 1940’s?
Microwaves now so women can spend less time cooking so more free
- women now in the work force like the navy or the air forces and so exercise new power but still also must care for kids. PPl think this break the family.
- Many women found the war more dispiriting than men as they viewed their job in a negative way and saw it as bad for the family lolol
what were key political moments during the 1940’s?
-including race and religion ofc
- End of the British empire
- Windrush generation arrive and promised a better life..
- More ppl have kids coz carpe dieme guys
How would you summarise the tone of the 1940’s?
Women start work and actually like it but its only coz the men are at war.
What were key moments during the 1950’s?
- Baby Boomers- rise of capitalism???
- rock and Roll
- racial segregation ruled unconstitutional inn in public schools
- vietnam war
- Birth control pills trialed
- Suez crisis of 1956, violent uprising by Egyptians against the British , ended up with British troops being withdrawn from Egypt.
What were the key political changes during the 1950’s?
-include religion and race ofc
- Baby boomers emerged after the end of WW2, when birth rates across the world spiked.
- More ppl created more consumer demand and production. Avg income increased which increased demand which all caused an economic boom.
- Major changes in both religious and moral climates between 1950 and 1970.
- Immigrants began to introduce a great variety of religious beliefs like Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism.
- Increasing secularism and religious skepticism.
- American preacher Billy Graham formed a “Born again” Christian running crusades and pentostals.
What were attitudes towards men and women like during the 1950’s?
- men come back and have PTSD but can’t talk about their feelings. Displaced role in the family and so marital problems.
- Boomer men hold onto traditionally masculine ideals like you have to be aggressive etc because don’t want to lose their privilege. Man’s sphere is the home.
- Some women want to keep power and to keep working but stigma. Many go back to feminine roles. Girls drop out of uni to marry and are paid less coz of written contracts
- messages in media encourage women to return to domestic life and whilst many didn’t want to, “respectability and conformity” became the standard since ppl just wanted to rest after the great depression.
- Women viewed as 2nd class citizens
- Worse for WOC- Rosa Parks 1955 refused to move for a white guy and sparked the Civil Right’s movement.
- Social commentators say women working ruins families oop
How would you summarise the 1950’s?
Women go back to the kitchen and men cry and beat their wives because they can’t talk abt their feelings and PTSD.
What were key moments during the 1960’s?
HIV crisis and consequential stigma and discrimination against gay men for spreading it
- Birth control !!!
- Civil rights
- “I have a dream “ speech
What were key political changes during the 1960’s?
-race and religion etc
-No. uni students doubled.
-The New Left: left wing politics attracted the middle class teenagers
Hippies were mostly middle class white ppl that embraced sexual promiscuity and recreational drugs.
-Birth rates declined and the no. abortions, unwed mothers and divorces increased.
-The Profumo Affair undermined the public’s trust in the government.
-Homosexuality decriminalized in ’67 in the UK
-Stonewall rebellion in ’69 in the US
- Race Relations Act of 1965- first act against racism
- “Sexual intercourse began in 1963”- Philip Larkin
- Christians become more secular
- Young Muslims become radicalized and reject western way of life. Saw this as an evil against God and some wanted to enforce a Muslim way of life and “Sharia law”.
- Some young Muslim girls question wearing hijabs
What were attitudes towards men and women like during the 1960’s?
-Introduce birth control(1961) so now women have autonomy over their own bodies. SEXUAL LIBERATIONN
-’67 Abortion act
-’63 Equal pay act
Women begin to question traditional sexual roles and assert the idea that women have the same sexual needs and enjoy sex.
-More women entering a PAID WORKFORCE which increased the dissatisfaction among women regarding huge gender disparities in pay and sexual harassment.
-Gradually society accepted the wants of 60’s feminists : equal pay for equal work, an end to domestic violence, curtailment of severe limits on women in managerial positions, an end to sexual harassment and sharing of responsibility for housework and child rearing.
How would you describe the 1960’s
Women can have sex without stressing abt pregnancy so men get very mad but also stigma against gay men coz ppl think they’ll spread HIV.
What were key moments during the 1970’s?
Gay rights movement gains popularity in 1970
- “Battle of the sexes”- Riggs loses to King (woman) after saying no woman would ever beat him
- Cambodian genocide 1975-79
- End of the Vietnam war 1975
- Peace in the Middle East
- Jonestown Massacre 1978
- Margaret Thatcher celebrates her first election victory and becomes Britain’s first female PM, 1979
what were key political changes during the 1970’s?
- Women openly protest traditional roles of housewives etc and By 1970 12 million women were on the pill in the US.
- Mary Quant’s mini skirt allowed women to “run and jump”
- Feminism became more of an influential ideology as more jobs became available to women.
- In 1968, 850 women went on strike for equal pay.
- Women became more involved in politics e.g 1968 Barbara Castle became the first woman to be appointed the first secretary of state.
- Christianity became more popular
-Female liberation meant ideals of sex and expectations placed upon women were seen differently and were relaxed however religious morals on marriage and sex are still hugely significant today
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What were attitudes towards men and women like during the 1970’s?
- Sex discrimination act of 1975 to “render unlawful acts of certain kinds of sex discrimination and discrimination of the grounds of marriage…. Working towards the elimination of such discrimination and promoting the equality of opportunity between men and women generally”
- 1979 pregnancy act
- 1975 the Employment Protection Act made statutory maternity pay a requirement for employers and legislated against dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy.
- 2nd wave of feminism
- Women were now able to apply for higher paying jobs that were once available only to men
- men start to reflect and anti-sexism men formed men only spaces where they can confront sexism and homophobia
- By mid 70’s there were men groups in almost every town
- Life generally became more convenient
How would you summarise the 1970’s?
2nd wave feminism tings coz all aspects of our life should be under our control
