(!) 2:7 Social and cultural change - Content Flashcards
What attitude about women from the 1950s continued into the 1960s?
That women had the duty of being a good wife and mother, keeping a clean home and feeding her children and husband.
The growth of feminism in Britain led to more women…
going into higher education, particularly middle class women
Despite more women attending university, few women…
reached managerial posts
In 1970, what % of students in higher education were female?
28%
In 1970, what % of people in managerial posts were female?
5%
What was education like for most working-class girls?
Their education still had much focus on the domestic sphere and girls frequently left school at the minimum age, marrying young.
Although there were plenty of jobs available to women, they were predominantly…
in the clerical and service sector with no prospects for promotion and poor pay
Why were many women put off from being a working mother?
The media often portrayed working mothers as unnatural and selfish
Why was it not possible for many mothers to work?
They had to take care of their children, as childminders were rare and private nurseries could only be afforded by the wealthy
What did the National Health Service (Family Planning) Act of 1967 do?
It allowed local authorities to provide contraceptives and contraceptive advice for the first time
What were 3 trends partly caused by the increased availability of contraception?
> The number of illegitimate births rose (5.8% in 1960, 8.2% in 1970)
> The number of marriages ending in divorce rose
> There became less children up for adoption, as there were less unwanted children being born
When did the contraceptive pill become available on the NHS?
1961
At first, why was the pill mainly prescribed to older women who already had children or didn’t want any more?
The government didn’t want to be seen to be encouraging promiscuity or ‘free love’
From what year were family planning clinics allowed to prescribe the pill to single women?
1974
The widespread availability of the pill allowed both men and women to…
have control over their reproductive health and to choose when they want to have a child
What were the Dagenham protests?
When 187 female workers for Ford’s Dagenham factory went on strike in 1968 after their work was classed as ‘unskilled labour’ and were paid significantly lower than the male factory workers
What did the Dagenham protests help to enforce?
The strike gained widespread attention and was a precursor to the Equal Pay Act of 1970
What did the Equal Pay Act of 1970 do?
It established the principle of equal pay for equal work; making it illegal to have separate pay scales for men and women based on their sex. However, it did not come into force until 1975.
How much progress had the female equality movement made by the end of the 1960s?
Inequalities and discrimination against women still existed and the traditional stereotyping of roles remained strong
What other culture was seen in the permissive society?
The new drug culture
Cocaine and heroin addiction was _ times more prevalent in the first half of the 1960s.
ten
What was more commonplace by the end of the 1960s?
The use of soft drugs
What was the ‘hippy lifestyle’?
A movement with an emphasis on peace, ‘free love’ and ‘flower power’. They often experimented with drugs, particularly LSD, and music.
A new youth culture emerged, who were more inclined to question norms and reject social conventions. What may have caused this? (3 things)
> Increased affluence, living standards
Increased availability of education
Growth of leisure time
Over what types of things did young people clash over with the older generations?
Fashion, musical tastes, moral standards (drugs and sex)
How did young people listen to popular music?
By tuning in to one of the pirate radio stations, or BBC Radio One (from 1967). They could also use new technology, like cheap plastic record players.
New television programmes like Top of the Pops helped spread…
the latest trends in music, dance, jargon, attitude and dress
Name 2 youth subcultures that emerged in the 1960s
Skinheads and hippies
In the late 1960s, youth culture and political activism merged in opposition against…
the Vietnam War
In the summer of 1965, there were teach-ins against the war at what two universities?
Oxford University and London School of Economics
What organisation was set up in 1966 against the war?
The Vietnam Solidarity Campaign
What happened on 17th March 1968?
The first Trafalgar Square protest: a violent anti-Vietnam War demonstration near the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square. Around 10,000 people participated.
What happened on 28th March 1968?
‘The Battle of Grosvenor Square’ - a more violent protest with over 200 people being arrested
What was the final anti-Vietnam War demonstration in October 1968 like?
It was relatively peaceful, and 30,000 people took part
Give 2 other examples of anti-war protests in 1968.
> In Essex, two Conservative MPs were physically attacked
In Manchester, the Labour Secretary of State for Education and Science was shouted down
The influx of New Commonwealth immigrants continued, meaning that…
racial tensions persisted
A survey in North London from 1965 showed that one in five objected to…
working with black people or Asians
The survey showed that half…
would refuse to live next door to a black person
The survey showed that nine out of ten…
disapproved of mixed marriages
What did the Race Relations Act of 1965 do?
It outlawed discrimination in public places ‘on the grounds of colour, race or ethnic or national origins’. However, it excluded shops and private boarding houses.
What was the impact of this law?
It was overall a weak legislation and failed to effectively end racial discrimination
What was the role of the Race Relations Board?
Complaints of racial discrimination were to be referred to this board, which was supposed to conciliate between the two sides
In 1968, alarm over the sudden influx of Kenyan Asian immigrants prompted the government to…
pass a new Commonwealth Immigration Act
What did the 1968 Commonwealth Act do?
It limited the right of return to Britain for non-white Commonwealth citizens
What did Enoch Powell do in April 1968?
He made his notorious ‘rivers of blood’ speech
What was the liberal Establishment’s reaction to Powell’s speech?
He was strongly condemned; Heath sacked him from the shadow cabinet and never spoke to him again.
What was the public’s reaction to Powell’s speech?
They strongly supported him; there were strikes in London and a protest march to Downing Street in response to his sacking.
According to a Gallup poll, what % of the population supported what Powell had said?
75%
What did the Race Relations Act of 1968 do?
It banned racial discrimination in housing, employment, insurance and other services, and gave stronger powers to the Race Relations Board.
What were the loopholes of the 1968 act?
Employers could discriminate against non-whites in the interests of ‘racial balance’ and complaints against the police were excluded from the law
In January 1972, what % of complaints about discriminatory employment did the Race Relations Board actually uphold?
10%
