Britain 11 Flashcards
(6 cards)
: Unemployment & Regional Divide in the 1920s
National Unemployment: Stayed around 10–15%, rarely below 1 million — called “the intractable million.”
Regional Differences of unemployment (1923):
London & Midlands: 8%
North East & North West: ~12%
Scotland: 15.5% (highest)
Regional gap widened due to staple industry decline in some areas vs. new industry growth elsewhere.
Legal and Political Gains for Women
Key Legal Reforms:
1923 Matrimonial Causes Act – easier divorce
1924 Guardianship of Infants Act – joint custody
1926 Law of Property Act – equal property rights
1928 Representation of the People Act – vote at 21
Politics:
Still low MP numbers: only 15 women in 1931.
Margaret Bondfield: First female cabinet minister (1929)
15% of local councillors were women by 1930
Women’s Work & Barriers
Postwar Pressure: Women encouraged to give jobs back to men.
Big Sectors:
Domestic Service: 1.6 million by 1931
Clerical Work: 1+ million by 1921
1919 Sex Disqualification Act opened civil service/law
Challenges:
Marriage Bar: Fired if married
the number of female teachers fell from 187,000 in 1921, to 181,000 in 1931
Wages returned to half male rate by 1931
Many still in low-paid, long-hour jobs
Women’s Lifestyle & Social Shifts
Fashion: “Flappers” – shorter skirts, bobbed hair, visible makeup
Lifestyle: More women smoking, in dance halls, using birth control
Family Size: Fell from 4+ to 3.5 children
How did the newspapers,cinemas,radio grow?
-newspapers grew in popularity after the war, with 5 newspapers having 1 million circulation in 1930. The wealthy were more likely to read newspapers, however it grew in popularity with the poor
-BBC started broadcasting in 1922
-it was controlled by the government and remained very serious in tone
-also used to broadcast special events like Christmas service
-radio licences rose to 2 million by 1926
-most popular entertainment
-worship of big stars like Charlie Chaplin and the American culture, with only 5% of films shown in Britain being made in Britain
Cultural Reactions to WWI
-art was made representing the death and carnage of the war
-anti-war literature was made
-many believed there should be disarmament
