1970s Britain

• 1979 election results


  - Conservatives won 43.9% of votes with 339 seats and a 44 seat majority

  - Labour won 36.9% of votes with 269 seats
• Environmentalism


  A social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life support systems for us and other species.
• Youth developments

  - Emergence of punks and skinheads

  - Bands from the US influenced and popular British bands included the Sex Pistols
• Reggae and Ska


  Styles of popular music originating in Jamaica and characterised by a strong offbeat
• National Front


  A far-right, fascist, anti-immigration party founded in 1967 that never won any elections but was described as Britain's 4th largest party by 1977
• Change in representation among London Borough Councillors 1974-78


  It increases from 10 non-white councillors in 1974 to 35 in 1978
• Women's wage change in relation to men 1970-77

  It increased from 59 percent to 70 percent
• Equality Opportunities Commission


  - Had powers to bring court proceedings against parties who breached the Sex Discrimination or Equal Pay Acts

  - Ineffective: only 9 investigations launched in 8 years and only 10 percent of sex discrimination claims were successful
• Sex Discrimination Act 1975


  - Passed to end discrimination based on gender or marital status and to ensure equality of opportunity and outlaw harassment

  - Set up the Equal Opportunities Commission
• 1975


  Employment protection act, Sex Discrimination act passed. Equal pay act comes into force
• 1970 Equal Pay Act


  Illegal to pay women less than men for working the same job
• When did the first rape crisis centre open?

  1976
• When was the contraceptive pill made available on the NHS?

  1971
• Reproductive rights


  The rights to have information about, and the ability to make decisions regarding having children (Abortion and contraception)
• Patriarchy

  A social structure that privileges men
• What happened at the 1970 Miss World Contest?

  It was disrupted by Woman's Liberation organisations who felt it objectified women. They heckled the host, Bob Hope, and threw stink and smoke bombs onto the stage