Social developments and attitudes of the IWYs Flashcards
Summarise the extension of the vote for women (and men) between 1918 and 1928.
1) Representation of the People ACT (RIPO) 1918 extended the vote to women over 30 - m/c ratepayers or married to one.
2) Baldwin’s Equal Franchise act 1928 extended voting rights to all men and women over 21 the vote
How much did woman votes outnumber the male ones by?
-Females votes outnumbered male votes by 2m
Briefly summarise the disappointing short-term results of the Sex Disqualification act 1919?
-Act allowed women to stand for parliament, enter most professions and serve on juries
-Yet by 1929 only 2.3% (15mps) in the commons were female.
Identify three percentage measurements regarding the extent and character of female work
-July 1918, Women in industry = 35%
-July 1920= 27%
-By 1931 29.8% of British labour force = female which is a negligible increase from 29.5% in 1921
During ww1 how many woman worked in industry?
1.7m
How many woman did the Restoration of pre-war practices act dismiss?
-775,000 women
Give three reasons why the image if an independent and assertive “flapper” was a myth in the 1920s.
1) Women married younger than their Victorian equivalents
2) Only 6% of marriages ended in divorce
3)Work was seen as temporary which is supported by 69% of female labour was from under 35 unmarried woman
Give three facts that illustrate change in the birth rate
1) In Victorian period a married woman had 5-6 live births but by 1920s = 2.2
2) By 1939, the birth rate was less than half of what it was 50 years before.
3) 27.5% of couples had 5 or more children in 1919 but by 1940 this had declined to 11.2%
What were the consequences for woman of a falling birth rate?
-The reduction of the amount of children reduced poverty and housing as less children had to be looked after so less money was spent
-Also an opportunity for women to engage in leisure and work opened up as she was not always having children - however this was not realised immediately
-Also less deaths as multiple births was risky
Identify 3 points of evidence that illustrate female participation in the economy?
1) by 1931, 6.25m women at work, only 750,000 more than in 1911.
2)In 1935 there were only 116 women solicitors
3) nearly 3000 female doctors in 1935
What informal practice dominated female employment and damaged the impact of the Sex Disqualification Act 1919?
-The marriage bar which excluded married woman from working in professions such as teaching, civil service and banking
Explain whether or not National Insurance (Sickness) covered women and children?
-In 1938 NI covered 20m but left 15m uncovered - mostly woman and children under 5 which had consequences on health of w/c women
What was published by Marie Stopes and were her ideas as popular and as radical as sometimes thought?
-Published Married Love which was a guide to married couples on sex and family planning
-Sold 1m copies by 1939
-Not as radical as she was against pre-marital sexh
What was the attitude of government and church towards contraception?
-They were condemned by both and led to all forms of contraception being banned until the late 1930s when married woman were allowed on the grounds of health complications
How many woman are estimated to have died every year because of complications caused by illegal abortions?
-100,000-150,000 woman every year died from illegal abortions
How did legal reform in 1935 help middle class woman?
-Law reform Act 1935 empowered the woman to dispose of all of her property as if she was single
Identify statistics about a)wages b) prices and c) real wages between 1924 and 1935?
Between 1929-1932:
a)Wages dropped by 4%
b) Prices fell by 25%
c) Rise of 17% in real wages in 1924-1935
Identify the life expectancy of men and woman for 1910 and 1939
-For woman: 1910 =55 and 1938 = 66
-For men: 1910 52 and 1938 = 61
using relevant statistics, what do the measurements for infant mortality tell us about GB?
-Regional variations in infant mortality (but was decreasing)
-SE = 47/1000
-Wigan = 138/1000
-Harrow = 73/1000
What happened to agricultural prices after ww1 and what adjective can be used to describe their movement after 1918?
-Agricultural prices tripled during ww1
-Depression
Identify four reasons why an rural worker was worse off than an urban worker?
1) A farmworker can be paid 33s/w and Urban worker = 55s/w
2)National Insurance (unemployment) was only extended to farmworkers in 1936 (at a lower rate for benefits)
3)Holidays with Pay Act 1936 did not cover them
4) By 1937, 55,000 rural homes were classified as unfit for human habitation and 3,000 rural homes lacked an internal water supply
a)identify 3-4 reasons for migration of rural workers to urban areas and b) identify the percentage who was left and c) what constrained their departure
1)Arable farming of cereals in SE declined
2)debt increased
3) Holidays beyond 3 days not allowed
4) Village life was dull due to lack of cinemas and any entertainment
b)25% decrease in farmers between 1921 and 1938
What percentages of poverty were discovered in GB?
-Rowntree found that 31% of the working population in York lived in poverty
-10% in London, Bristol and Liverpool
Identify two reasons for poverty explained by Rowntree
-Due to the family poverty cycle: poverty is passed onto children so no one can break the cycle
-Low pay was a problem with building work which were seasonal employment
Did Rowntree suggest Unemployment was the reason for poverty?
NO; Unemployment was not exclusively or even primarily responsible for poverty, but exacerbated the effects of poverty on families
What was a problem for the pension and how this could end up with poverty for elders?
-pension = 10s/ w and £1 for married couple, but it remained below the poverty line and additional resources to enjoy life
How did Pigou describe unemployment in the IWYs?
-“Intractable million”
Identify the unemployment figures for 1921 and 1933 and explain why the latter may be an underestimate?
1921=2m
1933 = 3m (22%)
-Could be an underestimate as woman would often not register as unemployed and many declined due to the stigma of the means test
Given the geographical distribution of class and industry, what conclusion can be drawn about living standards in GB?
-That improved living standards were also experienced but in regional variety
What were unemployment rates in a) NW, b) NE, c) wales and d) jarrow?
-18% in NW
-Over 20% in NE
-30% in Wales
-72% in Jarrow (1933)
a) Using statistics, what happened to inequality in the IWYs and b) which class benefitted the most in terms of improved living standards?
b) The middle class benefitted the most in terms of improved living standards due to lower prices and access to cheap money
How many people lived in a) council housing b) owned their own home c) rented in 1914 and 1937?
a) 1914 = 1% and 1937 = 10%
b) 1914= 15% and 1939 = 31%
c) 1914 = 85-90%
a)How many council houses and b) how many houses for private housing were built in IWYs?
a)1m council homes were built (1/3 of houses built in IWYs) (By labour)
b)2.5m houses built for private ownership and by 1939 31% of homes = owner occupied ( by conservatives and helped by cheap money)
What percentage of expenditure was spent on alcohol and tobacco?
-20% of estimated expenditure on entertainment and recreation in IWYs was spent on alcohol and tobacco
-expenditure on tobacco in 1914 = £42m and in 1939 = £204m
a)How many people indulged in gambling in some form and b) what percentage of spending went on it?
a)by 1938, 10m people did it every week
b) 4.5% of estimated expenditure on entertainment and recreation was spent on gambling
What happened to working hours and why is the change in them possibly important?
-Reduction in work hours by an average of 6 hours per week allowed for attendance at sport matches - FA cup final attracted crowd of 150,000
Using statistics, explain the change in the number of people taking a holiday
1m people had holidays in 1925, 4m people had holidays by 1937
-The holidays with pay act 1938 meant over 11m people benefitted from them in 1939
a)When did Butlins open its first holiday resort and b) how many working class people could it host in 1939
a) First resort in 1937
b)Could host 500,000 w/c people in 1939
Using statistics identify the growth of a)cinema b) book sales c) woman’s magazines and d) adult literacy rate?
a) 1934= 3000 cinema, 1939 = 5000; 904m admissions into cinema in 1934
b) 1911 public libraries issued 54m books, 247m in 1939
c)Vogue (1916) came out
d) 16-22% of the pop was illiterate
using statistics identify the growth of radio use and how many people did not have access to one?
-Radio licenses grew from 36,000 in 1922 to 23m in 1939
-However poor households could not afford the £1-3 or 1-2s/w rental so 13.5m went without
What was economic reallignment and who benefitted from this
-Middle classes benefitted the most
-Working class benefitted : 5-6% of redistribution of wealth to w/c
What was J.B Priestley’s 4 Englands?
-19th C North
-England of the Dole
-Rural england
-20th C of SE who experienced better conditions
What is meant by the Morbid age?
