Women Flashcards
How did education change for women?
- The 1944 Education Act outlawed the sacking of married female teachers.
- Good quality grammar schools ensured some woman achieved very high academic standards.
- By the early 1960s nearly a third of undergraduates were woman
What was life like for Women in the 1950s
.
- They were still assumed to have a domestic role
> men tended to be the breadwinners
> Woman were often paid less than men
What was Convovid?
- A contraceptive pill introduced by Enoch Powell in 1961
> this gave women more control over their lives, and meant they could start families later on
> all this contributed to better education and employment rates. - By 1969 about 18% of women were taking the pill
> access to the pill was still difficult
How was the Abortion Act 1967 passed?
- It was introduced by David Steel through a private member’s bill
> this was too controversial for the government to introduce a law about - MPs were given a free vote so they did not have to vote along party lines.
- The labour majority were largely in favour of this change.
- Before 1967 there were around 100,000 backstreet abortions each year; in 1966 49 women died whilst undergoing backstreet abortions
How was the Divorce a Reform Act 1969 passed?
- This Act was passed in 1969 but only came into effect in 1971.
> this too was passed by a free vote, and was first introduced as a Private Member’s bill.
> the Labour majority were largely in favour of this change.
What was the Equal pay Act 1970?
- This was established to ensure there was no employment discrimination
> it came into effect in 1975 - It helped to increase the wages of women and allowed them to be more independent.
- Part of the pressure for this came from a strike by female workers at the Dagenham Ford Factory
What was the sex Discrimination act 1975?
- This protected everyone from discrimination on the grounds of gender
> it applied to employment, education and harassment
Why did Women’s lives change?
- Women’s Liberation Movement
> held popular demonstrations
> Germaine Greer - Labour government
> willing to support reforms
> decriminalised homosexuality
> abolished death penalty - Private Members’ Bills
> ensured the government was not responsible for introducing controversial legislation
In 1951 ….. Of the labour force was women, the increased to …… In 1971 ?
1951- 31%
1971- 38%
How were working women treated?
- Resented by make colleagues
- Blamed for crime and unruly behaviour by children
- said to be less committed than men
8/10 women were….? (Job wise)
- Secretaries, factory workers or shop workers
When and what was “Family Allowances”?
- 1945
- mothers received a payment for each child they had
When an what was the “Abortion Act”?
- 1967
- made abortion legal
What and when was the “Divorce Reform Act”?
- 1969
- Made divorce easier
When and what was the “Equal pay act”?
- 1970
- Granting equal wages for men and women doing the same work
When and what was the “Sex discrimination act”?
- 1975
- outlawed sexual discrimination in the work place
When and what was the “Domestic Violence Act”?
- 1976
- enabled married or cohabiting women to obtain a court order aimed at preventing further violence and to exclude her violent partner from the home
In 1950 the average number of minutes to spend on housework a day was……., In 2975 it had dropped to …….?
1950- 500
1975- 345
What technology was brought into homes which helped women?
- Labour saving devices
- Refrigerators, made less trips to shops
- Vacuums made housework quicker and easier
- washing machines
How did Magazines and TV influence women?
- more than half read a weakly magazine.
- in the 1960s tv started to takeover
- Women were advised on home life, how to look and how to behave
- by the 1970s there was more of an influence of celebrities, giving women the idea of the right to be their own
…….% of working class wives, and …….% of middle class wife’s felt they married too young?
- 35%
- 21%
……% of women did not know what their husbands earned?
62%
What were the 4 demands of the Woman’s Liberation movement of the 1960s?
1- Equal pay
2- Equal education and opportunity
3- 24 hour nurseries
4- Free contraception and abortion on demand
When was the first birth control pill created, and then approved by the NHS?
- created in 1957, supported and handed out by the NHS in 1961
