Family Life: Children and Marriage

• Feminists began to challenge the notion that marriage was the main goal for women in 1960's and 1970's (magazines often glamorised this idea, yet this isolated women)
• The 1969 Divorce Reform Act meant couples could end their marriage due to 'irreconcilable differences' after 2 years (or 5 years if only one party wanted the divorce), before this, one party had to prove some fault which was very difficult
• The 1970 Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act awarded a far higher share of the couple's wealth to the woman in divorce settlements
• Due to the 2 Acts, rates of divorce increased from less than 3 in 1000 marriages in 1965 to almost 10 in 1000 by 1976
• In 1965, 37785 divorces occurred in the UK, however, in 1975 after the 2 Acts were passed, there was 120522 divorces in the UK
• Women also greater sexual equality with men due to increasing availability of the Pill, women had often be conscious due to the consequences of Pregnancy
• Before the 1967 Abortion Act, women who wished to terminate a pregnancy had to seek an illegal 'backstreet abortion', these were carried out by untrained people, there was often a lack of hygiene and training led to 40 maternal deaths and over 100000 injuries in 1966 alone
• MP Dr David Steel used statistics like this when he persuaded parliament to legalise abortion during the first 28 Weeks of Pregnancy, a measure approved of by 70% of the British Public
• Feminists were keen to promote female empowerment and enjoyment of sex and helped advocate a more equal partnership within relationships as opposed to male dominance
• Historians Akhtar and Humphries argued that the "years between 1965 and 1969 were when the sexual revolution began in Britain... and the Pill made it possible"