What was the Impact of the Liberalisation of Women on British Society?’ The 1960’s can unquestionably be seen as a defining period in British history, in which there were numerous events which caused profound social impacts on many different groups of people, including the youth, homosexuals, and immigrants. Another one of these social groups was women, and there were drastic changes in their role and status during this decade, as during the 1950’s women lived quite constrained lives in a society that was still fairly male dominated, but during the 1960’s, women gradually began to become more powerful figures in society. A couple of key aspects of change were in politics and fashion, with key events including Margaret Thatcher being the …show more content…
Prior to the 1960’s, women were constrained to supplying artillery that would be used in the war effort and to provide key resources that could help in assisting those participating. However, the 1960’s brought about a new era in which there was a greater variety in the jobs open for women. This is evident through the graph, in which shows how the labour supply of women gradually increased from the year 1960 onwards. The impact of the economic boom of the 1960s can be seen, which gave young women the opportunity to build up career if they so wished. There was a rise in the number of women entering higher education, which broadened their horizon, with a 25% increase in the number of women at university from 1950 to 1970. However, even though more girls took ‘OLevel’ exams, few continued to take A Level, and often girls who pursued their education went on to study subjects like hairdressing and childcare. This shows how the 1960’s caused more job opportunities to be available for women, and although the numbers of girls in higher education increased, their professions were not as respectable as the ones men would …show more content…
The fight for equal pay began during the 1950’s, when the government introduced equal pay in men and women in teaching, civil-service and local government. There was then increased pressure from various Feminist movements for equal pay in other areas of employment, such as machinists in Ford Car factories going on strike, causing it to close for three weeks. The Equal Pay Act in 1970 was implemented as a result of the pressure from female workers, and set out equal wages for men and women of the same job, with the primary aim to end inequality in wages. This was a great achievement for women, who were now far more economically independent, giving them more freedom to spend money on luxury items, such as new fashions. The Equal Pay Act was also very significant as it was evidence of greater equality between men and women, and made Feminists more determined to fight for equal rights, with the Sex Discrimination Act (1975) soon
The First World War presented European women with ample opportunity to step up and demonstrate their strength; however men of this era had conflicting opinions of how capable women were to take on a man’s occupation. Therefore, it was necessary for women to prove their abilities and destroy the widespread belief of their stupidity and ignorance. To begin, it was during this era of World War 1 and directly after this that women were able to prove themselves as vital members of the economy and society of Europe. In Document 1, a picture depicts the harsh patriarchal society that women were forced to change by showing a woman being ignored by a man. The purpose of this photo of a female figure arguing that women were strong enough to save men
During the time of 1940-1945 a big whole opened up in the industrial labor force because of the men enlisting. World War II was a hard time for the United States and knowing that it would be hard on their work force, they realized they needed the woman to do their part and help in any way they can. Whether it is in the armed forces or at home the women showed they could help out. In the United States armed forces about 350,000 women served at home and abroad. The woman’s work force in the United States increased from 27 percent to nearly 37percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married woman worked outside the home. This paper will show the way the United States got the woman into these positions was through propaganda from
“There was much more to women’s work during World War Two than make, do, and mend. Women built tanks, worked with rescue teams, and operated behind enemy lines” (Carol Harris). Have you ever thought that women could have such an important role during a war? In 1939 to 1945 for many women, World War II brought not only sacrifices, but also a new style of life including more jobs, opportunities and the development of new skills. They were considered as America’s “secret weapon” by the government. Women allowed getting over every challenge that was imposed by a devastating war. It is necessary to recognize that women during this period brought a legacy that produced major changes in social norms and work in America.
.... The wages of women started to go up. The armed forces started to employ women as drivers, cooks, storekeepers, clerks, telephone operators and administration. It was soon recognised women were more than competent in a range of tasks, including the management of farms and businesses.
British Women's Gain of Independece in 1960's and 1970's At the end of the 1950's women still had many disadvantages to men in almost all areas of life, and they were not equal. The man was still seen as the main earner for the family. Although after the Second World War progress had been made in employment and women were able to get jobs, they were very much secondary to men. At the beginning of the 1960's there was a huge boom in popular culture which was accounted for by the huge amount of young people as a product of the 'baby boom'.
The Social and Cultural Changes in the Sixties There was undoubtedly a significant social and cultural change in the sixties. The 60’s represents a year of social and cultural liberation from the old ways of the 40’s and the 50’s because there was more affluence, consumer goods i.e. televisions and radios, increase in education i.e. 22 more universities were established and saw the emergence of comprehensive schools, sexual liberation, immigration and women’s rights. However, it could also be seen that the sixties was a result of continuity from the late 50’s which started the revolution and continued through to the 70’s. The fact that it is important to recognise that social revolution wasn’t happening everywhere, for example, the Women’s Institute flower shop.
Contention (Introduction): At the beginning of the 1950's women faced the expectation that they must become a housewife. Towards the end of the 1960’s, women started to believe that
Many factors affected the changes in women’s employment. The change that occurred went through three major phases: the prewar period in the early 1940s, the war years from 1942-1944, and the post war years from around 1945-1949. The labor shortage that occurred as men entered the military propelled a large increase in women’s entrance into employment during the war. Men's return to the civilian workforce at the end of the war caused the sudden drop to prewar levels. The cause of the sudden decline during post war years of women in the paid workforce is unclear. Many questions are left unanswered: What brought women into the war industry, ...
In December 1941, the government conscripted single women aged 20-30 as auxiliaries to the Armed Forces, Civil Defense, or war industries… Government figures show that women’s employment increased during the Second World War from about 5.1 million in 1939 (26%) to just over 7.25 million in 1943 (36% of all women of working age). Forty six percent of all women aged between 14 and 59, and 90% of all able-bodied single women between the ages of 18 and 40 were engaged in some form of work or National Service by September 1943. (Anitha)
During America’s involvement in World War Two, which spanned from 1941 until 1945, many men went off to fight overseas. This left a gap in the defense plants that built wartime materials, such as tanks and other machines for battle. As a result, women began to enter the workforce at astonishing rates, filling the roles left behind by the men. As stated by Cynthia Harrison, “By March of [1944], almost one-third of all women over the age of fourteen were in the labor force, and the numbers of women in industry had increased almost 500 percent. For the first time in history, women were in the exact same place as their male counterparts had been, even working the same jobs. The women were not dependent upon men, as the men were overseas and far from influence upon their wives.
Women were supposed to be housewives who were to stay home and take care of the children and home. Over the years, this idea did not settle well with women and caused them to revolt and become liberated. The ideological and institutional constraints of 1950s American society left a significant impact on the construction of women and their identifies during this time period (Holt). During these years, the idea of Rosie the Riveter arose, which caused women to become more liberated. Women during this time period achieved independence, which caused the ideas of the 1950s woman to become even more harmful to the construction of women and their identity within society. The 1960s was a time of growth for women. It was a period of liberating experiences. For a part of this decade, women were in the work force, doing things that they felt were beneficial to themselves and society. “In an era marked by quiescence of organized feminism and the celebration of domesticity by public figures and popular culture, increasing numbers of women are seeking employment outside the home” (Meyerlwitz,1994). Women were able to make a lasting contribution to society and their homes, which helped to diminish some of the stereotypes that existed. Women during this time were educated at a high rate than years past, many of them were in fields that they had never imagined working in before or classified as
The Equal Pay Act (part of the Fair Labor Standards Act), forbids employers to compensate women differently for jobs that are “substantially equal”, that is, almost identical. Traditionally, women have worked in different occupations than men; these occupations tend to be substantially different, pay less and confer less authority.
During the World War II women's role were focused on one thing, taking over what used to be the roles of men. Although jobs such as being a nurse, a teacher or working in the textile department swing and making clothes were still essentially classified as the typical “woman's job”, the war provided them not so much a gateway but a wider job opportunity to work in different fields. Such as in munitions factories, earning the name Munitionettes and working in the Armed Forces. In the munitions factories the women worked in all manner of production ranging from making ammunition to uniforms to aircrafts. They counted bullets which were sent to the soldiers at war, they mended aircrafts used by pilots during the war to shoot down enemies like birds in the sky.
Understanding why you are moved to reduce uncertainty helps you pinpoint your intentions for an encounter. Focusing on a job interview, it may only be a one time meeting. It should be handled with the anticipation that it will be the first of many encounters. You will want to leave a good impression however, doing that can make you question each and every decision. Uncertainty is broken down into two types, Behavioral and cognitive.
During the 1950’s and 1970’s the greatest change for women was politically due to the fact that women were given more privileges. Women had wanted to become equal to men for so long and now they had their chance to become the same.