Women, Youth and Racial tensions

Question 1

Women in the 50s

Answer 1

• Seen as primarily housewives - ideal women was a wife and a mother - average age of marriage 21 and 75% of all women being married.
• The government paid a family allowance to women to ensure they didn’t need to work - encourgaed women to stay at home
• Women couldn’t get a morgage or bank account under their name only their husbands

Question 2

Improvements for Women

Answer 2

• By 1964 the number of women in work had risen - still uncommon for married women to work - many people believed it would be damaging for women to be away from their home and children
• Improvements in equal pay for teachers 1952 and Civil Servants 1954

Question 3

Attitudes to immigration

Answer 3

• By 1958, 210000 commonwealth immigrants settled in Britain - 75% were male looking to work to support families back home.
• 1958 the Notting Hill riots broke out - series of outbreaks of violence between white youths and black immigrants - brought national attention to the racial tensions.
• 1962 gov brought in the Commonwealth immigrants Act which sought to control the influx of immigrants to the UK

Question 4

Youth Culture and teenagers

Answer 4

Young people had more time due to Labour saving devices - they dressed differently to their parents - listened to different music
- Teddy Boys were the most obvious Sub-culture but by the late 1950s they had been replaced by the Mods