1. Nurseries that had been open during WW2, shut after the war
Nurseries that had been open during WW2, shut after the war. Most people expected women to go back to their previous roles.
1967 Abortion Act made abortion legal. Before this an estimated 100,000 backstreet abortions a year. Failed attempts had been made to pass this law in 1953, 1961, 1965 and 1966.
First National Women’s Conference 1970, demanded 24hr nurseries, abortion on demand, free contraception and equal pay.
1975 Sex Discrimination Act meant it was illegal to fail to employ/promote somebody because of their sex.
Despite all of the legislation (laws) men still massively outnumbered women in management posts. It was too easy for companies to choose a man and say it was because the woman just wasn’t right for the job.
In the 1950s and 1960s the average age of getting married was 22 years old.
1968, women at Ford car plant in Dagenham went on strike because they weren’t getting paid the same as men for exactly the same job. Had support of newspapers, general public and trade unions and ended up getting just over 90% of wages of men.
1970 Germaine Greer’s ‘The Female Eunuch’ was published. Very influential. Explained how men had moulded women’s psychology.
1950s/60s: Married women who worked were seen as selfish and neglecting their duties as a wife. It was also embarrassing to the husband.
1970 The Sun newspaper printed a page 3 topless model for the first time and continues to do so to this day. It is the country’s most purchased newspaper, every, single day.
1975 Employment Protection Act meant that women who had worked in a job for more than two years were entitled to six weeks maternity pay and could have up to 29 weeks off after the birth of their child.
In the 1960s 80% of secretarial, shop and factory work was done by women. Only 15% of doctors and 5% of lawyers were women.
1970 the first Women’s National Liberation Conference was held in Oxford. At the conference four demands were decided upon; equal pay, equal education, free contraception and abortion, free 24hr childcare.
1970 Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act meant that women’s work in the house must be taken into account when deciding who was entitled to what after a divorce.
1975 Margaret Thatcher became the first ever female leader of a major British political party (she would go on to be elected Prime Minister in 1979).
By 1960 most British households had running water, gas and electricity.
November 1970 Women’s Liberation protest at Miss World contest, included shouting, flour throwing, stink bombs, heckling and leaflets on stage. Several arrests.
The pill was first prescribed in 1961, but given only to married women until 1967 when the Family Planning Act attitudes began to change in late 60s.
Even in 1975 girls and boys studied some different subjects at school. Usually girls would do cookery and textiles whilst boys did woodwork and metalwork.
1973 Britain joined the European Economic Community (the European Union) and one of the rules of joining was to have equal pay between the sexes. Britain wasn’t allowed to join until this was the case.
1970 Equal Pay Act said that from 1975 onwards men and women doing the same job must get equal wages.
1969 Divorce Reform Act. Before this act the only reason a women could divorce a man would be adultery.