History: British Society Flashcards
How traditional was education and employment in the 1950s?
Poor efficiency Boys learnt wood and metal work Girls learnt mothercraft Few women went to uni 15% of doctors and 5% lawyers were women
How traditional were social attitudes in the 1950s?
Women could do limited range of jobs and expected to leave work when they got married
Nearly 1/3 of all women were teenagers when married
What were the signs of change of home life and leisure in the 1950s?
Sports such as football were highly popular
Very few suffered absolute poverty
New welfare state and post economic boom
Heating and indoor toilets
How traditional was home life in the 1950s?
Men were the bread winners
50s were dedicated to re-establishing pre war traditions
Divorce was difficult to obtain
What were the signs of change in technology in the 1950s?
First washing machine
Tv’s in council houses
1 in 5 cars bought with hire purchase
What were the signs of change of education and employment in the 1950s?
High wages =can buy luxuries Hire purchase 15-20s in high demand More women's workers Full employment
What were the signs of change of social attitudes in the 1950s?
People wanted the war behind them
Able to enjoy consumer goods
Teenagers began to make their own lifestyles
Working class women returned to work when their children were old enough
When was the winter of discontent?
1978-9
What was the tripartite system?
Primary school=for ages 5-11, classes divided by ability
Secondary technical schools= specialised in mechanical and technical education, very few developed due to high cost
Secondary modern schools= all round education, 70%of pupils went here in the 1950s, 15%left with a certificate of education
Grammar schools= highly academic education, 20%of pupils went here in 1950s, most stayed to take O-levels until 16, many stayed to do A-levels and then uni. 11+ exam at primary school to get in
What are the disadvantages of the tripartite system?
Not everyone could go to the best school, had to be the smartest Not same opportunities at secondary schools, class difference
What are the advantages of the tripartite system?
Taught with similar ability pupils
Most left with a qualification
Education provided by state
Did grammar schools help working class children get a good education?
In 1951 working class children were taking 52% of grammar school places but the working class made up 70% of the population
Only 26% of those going to uni were from working class backgrounds
Did gender make a difference to education and opportunity?
Both studied core lessons eg literacy and numeracy. Boys did wood work and girls did needlework, home economics and mother care. Suggested that girls and boys had different paths for after school.
1951, 80% of young people aged 15-19 were in full time employment and showed that there was pressure on all to leave school and get a job
What opportunities were there when you left school in 1950?
10 vacancies for every 1 looking for a job
How many women worked In 1961 compared to the 12% in 1951
In 1961 there was 26% but we’re doing a limited range of jobs
They were paid poorly
Why were comprehensive schools introduced after 1964?
1964-only 10% went to comprehensive schools
1966- labour govt. said it would only give funding for new schools to LEA’s to create comprehensive schools
1970- 33% Of students attended comprehensive schools
1974- 62% of students attended comprehensive schools
1979- the education act was repealed by the conservative government but then there were only 150 grammar schools left. 90% of students were attending comprehensive
What evidence is there to show that education was improving in the 1960s and 1970s?
Many schools began progressive reforms prioritising a child centred approach
New exam= cse
Raised school leaving age from 15 to 16
What evidence is there to show that there were problems in education in the 1960s and 1970s?
Some schools took reforms to extreme (used teachers first names)
Only top 20%took o-levels
Cse was second class qualification
How did jobs in Britain change?
Increased number in service sector
More skilled jobs, better pay
Agriculture fell by over half, Imports
Manufacturing fell, imports(cheaper), mechanisation
What are blue collar jobs? And what was happening in the 1970s?
Industry and manufacturing
By the 1970: many workers redundant
Trade unions put pressure on employers to pay high wages
British governments tried to reserve jobs rather than encouraging industries to be more efficient by employing fewer workers
British industries not selling abroad, had to compete with other countries (who were making things more cheaply
British empire covered 1/4 of the globe but when independent they didn’t necessarily buy from Britain
Machinery was older than other countries
Had to pay high wages so goods were expensive and non competitive
Production inefficient, employed more workers than needed
What are white collar jobs and what was happening in the 1970s?
In the service sector= banking and insurance, heathcare, retail etc .
By the 1970s more workers were being recruited
Full employment and high wages meant that people had more disposable income
More jobs in public sector
Government increased spending on Health and education
Fewer machines used
Higher demand for goods and services
More difficult to use machinery in white collar jobs
More women employed and part time meant they could balance work and family
Women were regarded as particularly suitable as they were cheaper to employ, on average were paid 59% of the hourly pay of a man
Were opportunities for women improving in the 60s and 70s?
There were more jobs and employers liked them as they were cheaper
What and when was the equal pay act?
1970
“Equal pay for work”
Voluntary for businesses until 1975
Many employers claimed (80%of the time successfully) that the work men and women did was different so the law didn’t apply
What and when was the sex discrimination act?
Made it illegal for employers to treat workers of one gender less favourably than the other
It was difficult for women to bring their claims to court
1975
What was the unemployment protection act and when was it?
1975
Made it illegal for women to be sacked because they were pregnant
Gave women the right to maternity pay and to return to their jobs after having the baby
Were opportunities for women improving in the 60s and 70s?
There were more jobs and employers liked them as they were cheaper
What and when was the equal pay act?
1970
“Equal pay for work”
Voluntary for businesses until 1975
Many employers claimed (80%of the time successfully) that the work men and women did was different so the law didn’t apply
What and when was the sex discrimination act?
Made it illegal for employers to treat workers of one gender less favourably than the other
It was difficult for women to bring their claims to court
1975
What was the unemployment protection act and when was it?
1975
Made it illegal for women to be sacked because they were pregnant
Gave women the right to maternity pay and to return to their jobs after having the baby
What did the conservative government led by Edward Heath have the power to do? (1970-74)
Spend government money
Cut spending
Control wages (wage caps) or negotiating with trade unions
Make laws regulating what unions can do
What did the conservative government led by Edward Heath have concerns about? (1970-74)
And what do they want to achieve?
Inflation,strikes,debt,profit
=reduce spending (decrease pay)
=prevent inflation (decrease pay)
=prevent strikes without having to increase wages
What did the workers and their trade unions have the power to do? (1970-74)
Organise strikes
Organise protests such as refusing to do overtime
Set up picket lines to stop other workers getting into the mines or factories
Organise flying pickets to stop workers or supplies getting into factories
Have a ‘closed shop’ where workers can only get a job in a workplace if they join the union
What did the workers and their trade unions have concerns about?
And what did they want to achieve?
Job cuts,wage decreases,prices of goods low
=better working conditions
=more pay
=less inflation
=keep jobs
What happened in 1972 when “the lights went out”?
Coal miners in the national union of miners went on strike
The government declared a three day week: due to shortages of electricity on 3 days in the week
•production slowed and 800,000 workers were sent home
•on 19th February the miners received a 27% pay rise and went back to work
What happened in 1973 when “the lights went out”?
Teachers, hospital staff, train drivers, ford car workers and hasten went on strike demanding higher wages
Yom Kippur war, when Egypt and Syria attacked Israel caused oil prices to increase by 70%
Unemployment increased after the government cut spending and increased interest rates
The NUM introduced an overtime ban for miners
Oil prices increase by 400% compared to September 1973; long queues at petrol stations
What happened in 1974 when “the lights went out”?
The government announced another 3-day week
•loss of production caused 1.5 million people to be temporarily unemployed
81% of miners voted to go on strike demanding 35%increase in wages
Prime minister Edward Heath called a general election and lost bringing in a labour government
The miners were awarded a 32% wage increase and trade unions given a social contract: they would now regulate wages and decide how much they increase
What happened in 1975 when “the lights went out”?
Inflation reached 27% : something that cost £4 in January cost over £5 by December
What is a state of emergency
Declared by the government in times of extreme risk to public security
How many states of emergency were declared between 1970 and 1973?
5
What did the winter of discontent lead to?
1978-workers at ford factories went on strike and by November won a pay increase of 17%
1979- oil tanker and Lorry drivers went on strike; tankers won a pay rise but the Lorry drivers held out for 6 weeks (this prevented delivers to shops hospitals; people began to panic)
1979- 1.5 mill public sector workers went on strike
Almost all schools shit
Hospitals could only treat emergencies
No rubbish collections
Cemeteries closed, by the end of Jan (in Liverpool) 225 corpses were stored in a factory waiting for burial
What was tv like in 1955?
344,000 tv licences sold
BBC was the only broadcaster
Itv began to broadcast
What was tv like in 1964?
Tv act forced ITV to show more plays and current affairs
BBC 2 launched
‘Clean up tv petition’
