The Sixties Domestic Flashcards
Women
Divorce Reform Act 1969
Legalisation of abortion 1967
Thalidomide Disaster
Prescription drug for morning sickness which produced congenital deformities
Contraceptive Pill 1961
New Household Appliances
Meant women had to dedicate less time to housework
Equal Pay Act 1970
Equal pay for equal work (did not come into force for 5 years)
Matrimonial Property Act 1970
Established that the work of the wife (in employment or in the house) should be taken into account in divorce settlements.
Youth
Youth culture
- Mods and Rockers riots (eg 1964 seaside resort riots)
- ‘Hippie lifestyle’ = campaigns for anti-war and CND
- Skinhead culture at football matches
Anti-Vietnam War riots
Race Relations
‘Rivers of Blood’ Enoch Powell 1968
Sacked by Heath’s shadow cabinet
Notting Hill Carnival 1964
Improve community relations and encourage people to mix socially
Race Relations Board
To consider discrimination complaints = Upheld only around 10% of the complaints it received; cases were dismissed due to lack of evidence.
**Race Relations Act 1968*
- Banned racial discrimination in housing, employment, insurance and other services
- Given strong powers and a new community relations committee set up to promote harmonious community relations
- Employers could still discriminate against non whites in the interests of racial balance and complaints against the police were excluded from the law
- Only upheld 10% of 1,241 complaints about discriminatory employment
Leisure
Leisure industry expanded - growth in free time and quality of life; fewer people expected to work weekends - less dissatisfaction as a national and production growth due to advertising
TV making up for 23% of leisure time
in 1969, becoming available everywhere. Ended isolation. By 1961, 75% of the population had a TV. Colour broadcast.
DIY and gardening became more popular as well as cookery, needlework, and knitting which were all encouraged by new technology.
Live theatre shrunk rapidly, especially outside major cities.
Car ownership increased rapidly with other forms of transport declining. (77% of journeys being by car in 1974) Cars also became more affordable and accessible for travel.
Shopping became a leisure activity in its own right as production and advertising grew.
Leisure travel also turned into mass tourism with the number of holiday’s increasing.
School
- Tony Crossland = education minister 1965, against Grammar schools
- People were unhappy with the tripartite system, Grammar and Secondary Modern were no longer seen as equal and the 11+ system was seen as unfair
- Not enough money to support that system with the post-war baby boom
- Changed to a system of comprehension schools
- Polytechnics replaced Tech Colleges
Fashion
Clothes were almost becoming unisex with the traditional stereotypes for gender becoming less apparent
Men enjoyed new freedom of being flamboyant- wearing suits and bright bold shirts and high-heeled boots
Feminism embodied with miniskirts and then with clothing designed for women in careers.
Bright, bold colours became most fashionable with synthetic plastic such as PVC becoming popular
The Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act
- 1965
- Made permanent after five year trial period
- Beating of prisoners ceased after 1967
- Did not significantly reduce murders or violent crimes
- Ruth Ellis - last woman to be hanged in the UK
The Divorce Reform Act
- 1969
- Led by Leo Abse and Roy Jenkins
- Couples could now divorce without having to give evidence of adultery
- Large increase in divorces
- 10 in every 1000 marriages ended in divorce by the mid 70s
- Still had restrictions (living apart after a certain amount of time and requiring consent)
The Abortion Act
- 1967
- Originally 10,000 backstreet abortions each year ending in permanent damage
- Now had access to legal and safer abortions on the NHS
- Did not lead to an increase in promiscuity
- Allowed within the first 28 weeks
- Number of abortions increased from 4 to 100 in 68
- Uprise of anti-abortionists = 1966 society for the protection o
The Sexual Offences Act
- 1967
- The Wolfenden Report 1957 = people were beginning to believe homosexuality was not an illness that could be cured and punishment by incarceration was not right
- Aided by open minded younger generation
- Both partners had to consent, be over the age of 21, and be in private
Scientific Developments
- Labour government saw this as a key aim
- Space Travel = 1969 moon landing
- Modern medicine = x-ray equipment, hearing aids, antibacterial drugs
- Polythene used as insulation = later found to be harmful
Censorship
-Playwrights began experimenting with new styles of plays, often addressing social issues with a frankness
-New plays had to gain a licence from the Lord Chamberlain’s office before they were allowed to be performed
-Material that was considered to be inappropriate or immoral was removed with prosecution
- Bill passed in 1968 to remove theatrical censorship
-Having a lack of inappropriate or immoral content in plays would allow for a wider age range for the audience
-Would allow for more plays to be morally accepted
Immigration
Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 - Ended free immigration for former colonial subjects even with a British passport
- A work permit voucher was put in place
- Did not explicitly discriminate black workers but acted as such
- Irish people were exempt
- Black applicants were made to wait, in the year after the act only 34,500 immigrants arrived in Britain
White Paper 1965
- Reduced the number of work vouchers to 8,500 a year
- No more than 15% granted to any one country
- Only children under 16 could qualify as family members
The Commonwealth Immigrants Acts 1968
- Restricted UK citizenship to those who had at least 1 British parent or grandparent born, adopted or naturalised in the UK
The Immigration Act 1971
- Conservative
- restricted immigration to those with at least 1 grandparent born in the UK or those with work permits with a guaranteed job for at least 1 year
- would still have to wait 5 years before they could get a permanent residence
