Society in the 1970s

• Demanded free pay and 24 hour nurseries which were outlined in marches organised by Women's liberations in London and Liverpool. Following the 1970 Women's Liberation meeting, these groups sprung up across the country and they protested against things like the Miss World Contest in the same year as they felt it objectified women. 


  Second-wave feminism
• • radical
  • social

  Feminism split into..
• More widespread and available through the NHS since the 60s which was seen as an advancement in reproductive rights

  Pill
• • First rape crisis centre opened in London 76
  • Domestic Violence Act 1976 made it possible to get a court order for restraining orders against violent partners.

  Battle against violence against women
• • end discrimination based on gender
  • Equal employment opportunities and education and outlaw harassment
  • Equality Opportunities Commission set up to oversee this act and the Equal Pay Act and could take parties to court who did not comply with these
  • 76-83 only 10% of these had been successful

  Sexual Discrimination Act 1975
• Equal Pay Act 1970 - equal pay between men and women doing similar jobs.
• Women's economic position:

  able to take out their own mortgages in 1971 without a male guarantee
• Paid maternity leave and outlawed dismissial on the grounds of pregnancy

  Employment Protection Act 1975
• Pushed through State Earning Related Pensions Scheme with Social Security Pensions Act which was more generous for women who had caring responsibilities

  1975 Barbara Castle
• • trade unions still dominated by men and still suspicious of women being in the workplace
  • Not until 79 when unions published charter 'Equality for Women within trade unions'
  • Equal Pay act did not solve pay inequalities as employers could get around it
  • BUT women's wages did go up from 59% of men's wages in 1970 to 77% by 1977

  Inequalities still present:
• • remained a source of social concern and in 1971 the conservative government passed an Immigration Act which restricted the right of new Commonwealth immigrants to reside in Britain as they would have to have at least one grandparent born in Britain.
  • There remained a steady flow of immigrants and events abroad caused influxes in immigration.

  Immigration
• • Early 1970s, dictator of Uganda persecuted and expelled Ugandan Asians, many of which were holders of British passports so these were made the excepted under the immigration act. 28,000 arrived in Britain
  • By 1974, there was around 1 million New Commonwealth immigrants which tended to settle in same areas due to the already established cultural and family network there. 


  Events abroad
• • Definitely did not reflect their population despite them being concentrated in one area. In 1974 in the London Boroughs councils elections, only 10 non-white councillors were elected.
  • Despite these laws, immigration still continued. In 1976, Wilson passed another Race Relations Act to try to tackle discrimination which had the power to carry out investigations.

  Political representation of immigrants
• • Very active in areas such as London were there was a concentrated immigrant population and although it never won any elections in grew in size with around 20,000 members in the 1970s.
  • It was considered the 4th largest party in the UK which shows the concern with immigration prevailing. 


  National Front
• • Thatcher gave a speech about immigration in 1978 stating that Britain is 'swamped with them' which gave the conservatives an 11 point lead in polls and hundreds of letters of support.
  • The National Front held marches and demonstrations in areas with high levels of immigration which often resulted in violence


  Effect of Thatcher and National Front
• • There was mistrust with the police and as in 1976 there were only 70 non-white police officers out of 22,000.
  • Young black people often felt the police was harassing and targeting them
  • Tensions rose and police attitudes more negative - Blair Peach death in 1979 who was an Anti-Nazi League supporter died in a demonstration blocked by police and allegedly was hit by a truncheon by one.

  Police