Swinging 60s Flashcards
how many women left the workforce to focus on domestic duties upon marriage?
9 in 10
what was the gender balance in the workplace?
2:1
when was contraception beginning to be commercialised?
early 20th century
How many women resorted to illegal abortions every year?
100,000
what did ‘sexology’ justify?
rape and men’s use of prostitutes on the premise that male sexual urges were natural
when did sex manuals start to be published?
the 1940s
Eustace Chesser?
‘Love Without Fear’ sold 3 million copies by 1964
what was the global stereotype about Britain?
British people were regressed as the matter of sex was a cultural taboo
Wolfenden Report 1957?
stated that homosexuality should not be a crime as private affairs were not the law’s business
family life for women?
Expected that women should marry.
Families grew smaller.
Only 5% of women had more than 5 children in 1940s, 25% in 1900s.
Impact of the war?
More women employed in uniformed services and factories.
Expected to return to domestic sphere.
Couples separated for long periods of time.
Constant prospect of death and many feared their husbands wouldn’t return home.
Make-up of the workforce?
Women constituted 29.6% in 1911.
32.4% in 1961
Lady Chatterley’s Lover (D.H. Lawrence)?
Privately circulated until Penguin published it.
Trial- witnesses testified to the artistic quality of the book and denied it was obscene.
2 million copies in first year.
Consequence of Lady Chatterley’s Lover?
authorities couldn’t decide what reading materials were suitable.
outdated attitudes being challenged.
‘The Joy of Sex’?
sold 12 million copies worldwide after publication in 1972
The Beatles?
Beatlemania term used to describe impact on pop culture.
sex appeal was part of their brand identity.
John Lennon’s marriage was kept a secret for this reason.
Cinema?
Film censorship less strict.
Swearing and nudity shown.
pornography?
became part of mainstream culture.
magazines available on shop shelves.
debates over whether this was emancipation or objectification.
Abortion Act?
1967.
legalised abortion.
number of abortions increased from 22,000 in 1968 to 128,000 in 1980.
Family Planning Act?
1967.
empowered local authorities to provide contraception and contraceptive advice.
The pill had been accessible only to married women since 1961.
Sexual Offences Act?
1967.
homosexuality legalised for men over 21.
Divorce Reform Act?
1969.
access to divorce extended.
Number of divorce petitions increased from 188,200 in 1961 to 884,800 in 1981.
Matrimonial Property Act?
1970.
entitles women to half of the estate in the event of a divorce.
Equal Pay Act?
1970.
established the principle of equal pay for equal work.
Other progressive legislation?
1965- abolition of death penalty.
1965- Race Relations Act.
1969- voting age lowered from 21.
1970- Disabled Persons Act.
actors in cultural revolution?
Govt
Courts
Church
Schools
Media and popular culture
Business
Technology and media advancements
female firsts?
High Court Judge- Elizabeth Lane, 1965.
Director General of MI5- Stella Rimmington, 1992.
Chief Constable- Pauline Clare, 1995.
Secretary of the TUC- Frances O’Grady, 2013.
First Minister of Scotland- Nicola Sturgeon, 2014
continuing inequalities of early 21st century?
38% of women work full-time.
men paid up to 20% more.
average British woman earns £250,000 less than a man over her lifetime.
Over half of all women work in only 3 main sectors- clerical, services and sales
