Social issues: rising affluence and consumerism, changing class attitude to class and the 'establishment', the position of women, attitudes to immigration, race relations and racial violence, the emergence of the teenager and youth culture.

what were women primarily seen as in the 1950s?

• housewives

• only 1 in 5 women went out to work in 1951

what problems did women face in the 1950s?

• trade unions tended not to support women as they believed this would lower their wages

• mortgages and bank accounts were in men’s names making women largely financially dependent on their husbands

• although by 1964 the number of working women had risen, it was still uncommon for married women, especially those with children to go out to work

what were some positives to take away as a woman in the 1950s?

• equal pay for teachers (1952) and  civil servants (1954) was introduced

• between 1957 and 1959 the number of households owning a washing machine rose by 54% and a refrigerator by 58%

what were the attitudes to immigration?

• for some there was a general tolerance of ‘getting along’ 

• the authorities regarded immigration as economically desirable (immigrants filled many important low-wage jobs)

• however many unpleasant examples of racism from the host communities for example the nottingham N hunts in August 1958 after pub brawls

what were the notting hill riots of 1958?

• at the end of August 1958 there were outbreaks of serious violence in notting hill, an area that had a large concentration of people from the caribbean

• at first, the violence was mostly white youths attacking west indians

• the police were unprepared and lacked experience of dealing with race riots

what did the commonwealth immigrations act being passed mean?

• introduced strict controls and restrictions such as commonwealth citizens now needing employment vouchers to enter the UK

• only those with a job arranged, or with special skills the UK economy needed were likely to get in