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Changes in civil rights, c1962 to 86

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From the 1960s, campaigns and new laws gave greater rights to ethnic minorities, women, disabled people and sexual minorities.

Race

The Bristol Bus Boycott (1963) challenged a bus company's refusal to employ Black and Asian crews; it succeeded.
The Race Relations Act (1965) banned discrimination in public places.
Enoch Powell's 1968 speech against immigration caused uproar; he was sacked from the shadow cabinet. An anti-immigration movement grew.
The Immigration Act (1971) further restricted immigration.

Women

Feminism grew. Women machinists at Ford's Dagenham factory went on strike (1968) for equal pay.
The Equal Pay Act (1970) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975) followed.

Disability, sexual minorities and education

The Sexual Offences Act (1967) decriminalised homosexual acts in private between men over 21 in England and Wales.
The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (1970) required councils to support disabled people; the Warnock Report (1978) argued for including children with special needs in mainstream schools.
Comprehensive education spread, and university grants helped more students.
Worked example

Explain why the Dagenham strike was important.

  1. Women machinists were paid less than men for skilled work.
  2. Their strike in 1968 won public attention.
  3. It helped lead to the Equal Pay Act of 1970.

Answer: It highlighted unequal pay and helped bring the Equal Pay Act.

Key idea

Race: Bristol Bus Boycott (1963), Race Relations Act (1965), Powell's 1968 speech, Immigration Act (1971). Women: Dagenham strike (1968), Equal Pay Act (1970), Sex Discrimination Act (1975). Sexual Offences Act (1967); Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (1970); Warnock Report (1978); comprehensives and university grants.

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