Women’s Legal Landmarks in the Postwar Years

This book presents 27 legal advances for British women between 1945 and 1970. It challenges the traditional view that little positive happened for women between the granting of the vote and the rise of the Women’s Liberation Movement, as well as the assumption that feminism was largely inactive in this period. The landmarks considered include women's admission to the foreign and diplomatic service, equal pay in the civil service, the appointment of women as KCs and coroners, and the protest at the Miss World contest as well as cases and statutes touching on a wide range of areas including property, family and criminal law. Each landmark is located in its social and legal context, linked to other movements in the period, and assessed in terms of its later history and significance. Together they demonstrate that campaigns for women’s rights were vigorously pursued by feminists both inside and outside Parliament during this period. While some landmarks achieved positive results, many were limited or thwarted by patriarchal opposition but still stand as ‘steps on the way’ to later reforms.