• Home
  • Royal Holloway, University of London
  • Modern British History 1914-1973
  • Evolution of Leisure and Class Dynamics in Modern Britain

Evolution of Leisure and Class Dynamics in Modern Britain

Leisure 1. Sociability 2. Spare time 3. Ideas that aren't directly related to leisure - class divisions 4. Increase in class based leisure pursuits, growth of working-class leisure 5. Gender mixed - women exist outside the home, technological advancements 6. Changing working hours, especially in 80s, 90s, hours reduced to a 9-5 and reduction in working days - holiday pay 7. Educations increase - gap between school and work - idea of teenager created - don't live on your own but don't have a family, fed of f leisure time and disposable income, as pill means less children 8. Package holidays, cheaper air travel, going to the beach - 1938 - Holidays with pay Act - 3 days of payed holiday - Relationship between unemployment and leisure - unemployed men are seeing as hav- ing leisure time - feeds into myth that men should be working - ef f eminate - 1946 - peak of attendance - 1.6 millions people a week going to the cinema - 1922 - BBC becomes state ran - signif i cant in understanding of society, news and trust- worthy central institution. - Enforced culture - paternalistic idea of BBC telling people what they should be doing, lit- erature, news, music, radio choices - Second World War changes relationship with the BBC - makes the choice to make it more impartial - 1960s - radio and broadcasts seen less as a communal activity due to television - 1950s - 5% had a television by 1970s - 95% - 1950s - television was a communal concept - communities watched it together - Rise of leisure pursuits in some areas and the decline in some. - Event holidays - introducing leisure - ties good will to these events - Unifying quality- brings together the classes and genders - The Beatles - exemplify the team culture - The Rolling Stones - gangs, mods, rockers - Twiggy - androgyny - gender neutral appearance - Relationship between image and leisure - Lyrics of Rolling Stones- new mantras, impression of lyrics on how to live your life - sex, drugs - Football - way football is a leisure activity - no rules - people sat on roof - desperation to watch. Doesn't represent upper or middle-class pursuits - crowded and communal. - Allocated seating - set numbers - press footage - glamourised, celebrities, less working- class activity. - Hasn't all gotten more accessible or more restrictive - class and leisure go hand in hand - Class - incredibly complicated an bound up with how to choose leisure pursuits - - George Orwell - social commentary. - Two-penny libraries - bookshops - literature available to it but cannot force someone to read it or enjoy it, more about looking good and judgement between dif f erent books. - Slang and more ref i ned accents presents dif f erent education.