Britan - women

What happened in 1918

Representation of the People Act (All men over age of 21 and women over 30 who owned a home, or married to a homeowner were allowed to vote in elections)

What happened in 1928 and how did it later lower

All women over the age of 21, regardless of whether or not they owned a home, were given the right to vote on the same terms as men, lowered in 1969 to the age being 18

Why were there restrictions on women voting in 1918

To ensure they had reasonable votes, husband can influence their decisions

What was the Sex disqualification act 1919 but what were limiting factors still

enabled women to become barristers, solicitors and jurors and magistrates, however there women were barred from foreign and diplomatic service until 1946

→ judges thought some cases were too ‘sensitive’ for women, so women were excluded from cases such as sexual assault till 1972

Who/what are some examples of female legal professions from this act

Gertrude Tuckwell → magistrate

Women were given opportunities like: chartered accountancy, veterinary medicine (this influenced universities to award women degrees)

Marie Stopes

→ attitudes for women to accept contraception

→ birth control advice

→ Marie stopes clinic 1921

Why did some people complain about Marie Stopes clinic 1921

→ neighbours complain - didn’t want prostitutes near their families

→ social attitudes did not change

What are some evidence of change in politics

→ 1918 parliament bill was passed allowing women to become MPs

→ Countess Constance refused to give up her seat in protest at Britian’s policy in Ireland

→ First 3 female MPs elected in their husbands seats (can be faliure)

→ 1924 Margaret became a member of the government

Limitations of change in politics

→ In 1918 general elections out of 1,623 candidates only 17 were women

→ only one elected + she did not take up her seat

→not until late 1924 was a women elected

Evidence of change in work

→ gained experience of financial independence during the war

Limitations to change in work

→ 18 months, ¾ women left their jobs they had taken during the war

→ returning to low-paid domestic work

→lost financial independence

→ when marriage occurred often women were sacked

Evidence of change in social attitudes

→ 750 (only?) for women at oxford uni

→ cambridge gave women degrees in 1948

→ women could divorce their husbands in 1923 for adultery

Limitations to change in social attitudes

→ women should give up their jobs

→ continuing belief that men were decision makers and breadwinners

→ motherhood w/o marriage was a major indiscretion

→ Most girls left school at 14, less that 1% education beyond 18

When did conscription occur during/after WW2

Limited conscription applied to single men between age of 20-22 were approved in the Military training Act in may 1939

What did limited conscription require

six months of military training, some 240,000 registered

What happened with conscription in December 1941 Parliament

widened the scope of conscription by making all unmarried women and childless widows between 20-30 liable to call-up

What did women to to help win the war in Heavy industry

Women worked in engineering firms, iron foundries and factories 

Evidence that women were still not treated equally in Heavy industry

They were supervised by a man, those who did well were often respected although some men never changed their view that women shouldn’t do this work.  

 

• Russia has many women fighters on the front lines – e.g. flying planes in combat unlike British policies

How did women help win the war through conscription

Older, single women and then married women were able to be conscripted. Women would choose to join the armed services, civil defense of industry – they were completing vital work and by 1943 there were 100,000 women working on the railway 

Evidence that women were still not treated equally in Conscription

Not all ages of women 

How did women help win the war in the services

Women had their own sections in the armed services such as ATS (army), the WAAF (air force) and the WRNS (navy). As the war progressed, they worked on anti-aircraft posts, as radio operators, as motorbike messengers and even spies.  

 

The french section sent 39 female spies, 13 died to France 

Evidence that women were still not treated equally in the services

→Women could not go into battle/ combat

→ Most important jobs remained for male 

Arguments that women should have jobs 

Women argued that they could be more financially stable and support themselves – spending their own money. 

 

Women were able to prove themselves during the war 

Arguments that women should stay at home 

Some men were unemployed whereas some women would be carrying ‘their’ jobs therefore it was unfair as women would only work for pocket money whilst men would be home providers  

 

Women were viewed as weak and therefore unable to endure long-term jobs and so unreliable 

Percentage of divorce per 1000 married people from 1951→1981

2.6%→11.9% (improvement)

What is the 1927 Sex Discrimination Act

→ protects against discrimination on the basis of sec or marital status

→ prevents women being paid less

What did the 1927 Sex disqualification act establish

Equal opportunities commission (EOC)

firemen becoming firefighters

What were the negatives and positives of social attitudes towards liberal attitudes in sex and family planning

Negatives: some people argued abortion and homosexuality should remain illegal

positives: it promotes greater happiness and well being

What was the 1969 Divorce reform act

couples could end their marriage due to ‘irreconcilable differences’ after two years, whereas before this they had to prove fault or blame

What was the 1970 Matrimonial proceedings and property act

→ made divorce easier

→ awarded women a greater share of a couple’s wealth in the divorce settlement

The family Planning association 1930

only offered contraception and advice to married couples

What did Brook clinics offer in 1964 in contrast to the family planning association

→ same service but to unmarried girls as young as 16, but there was often opposition

When did the contraceptive pill go on sale

1961, allowing women to not only control their fertility but pursue a career without the fear of unwanted pregnancy

When did the pill become freely available to all women

1974, through the NHS

When was abortion legalised

1967, only during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy

Achievements of the women’s movement

→ 2nd wave of feminism in 1960s due to greater social freedom

→ national housewives’ register 20,000 members reflecting boredom and frustration

→ women’s national liberation conference in oxford demanded equality

→ womens aid federation 1974

→ parliament 2st domestic violence act passed

What are the limitations to women’s liberation

→ 1970 sun newspaper sexualised women → topless models

→ magazines focused on fashion, dieting, romance, family

→ only 10,000 women were active in womens liberation movement at its peak

→ stereotyped in childrens toys

→ boy and girl different subjects at school

What actions did women take out of inequality give an evidential example

→ Women protested and went on strike

→ 1968 Ford strike (Dagenham) for ‘unskilled labour’

What was a result of the Dagenham strike

→ brough closure of Dagenham for 3 weeks

→ 1970 equal pay act

→ costs government + companies lots of money, therefore achievement for women

Why was the dagenham strike successful

→ Barbara castle - women in parliament (government minister for employment) helping organise the strikes

→ women won pay deal to put them at just over 90% of mens pay rate

Who was the first female leader of the British political party in 1975 and how did she help/ or not

Margaret Thatcher

→ did nothing for women

What is the phrase used to separate men and women in the the work field

‘glass ceiling’ - an upper limit to women’s promotion that is not made clearly visible by limits equality with men in the workplace

Why did third wave feminism emerge

→mid 1990s

→ criticised what they felt was unfinished work of the second wave feminism

→ began with the testimony of Anita Hill (accused Clarence Thomas of SA, because women felt Hill was ignored)

What were key ideas of third wave feminism

→ Refined women by including LGBTQ+, women of colour and different economic classes

→ used magazines and pop culture to express and spread awareness

→ paid attention to work place matters such as maternity policies

Achievements of third wave feminism

→ refined women

→ organisations were set up such as v-day, with goals of ending gender violence

→ spread awareness through plays such as The Vagina Monologues

→ overall expanded second wave feminist definition of sexual liberation

Limitations of third wave feminism

→ terms such as ‘spinster’, ‘bitch’, ‘whore’ continued to refer to women in derogatory ways

→Rape and sexual harassment still occur- Sara Everard killed by Wayne Couzens (police officer)