equal gender rights

Women in Britain had gone during long and difficult fight for the equal rights and the equal position in this society. Before a century it was impossible to imagine women elsewhere than at home with the kids taking care of home and satisfying husband needs. “The marriage was women`s career; the ‘normal’ adjustment to their ‘natural’ role moulded by nature and biology, was to be the ‘feminine’ dependent wife. ”  It was more than a statement it was axiom with a few exceptions like Joanna d`Arc in women life till the Second World War. During and since this extraordinary event in the history of the 20th century the conditions of women role in the society have changed. In the 50 years the topic about equal women and man rights became more and more discussed in different circles of Britain society. Now we could see the results of this long-term discussion: Situation reversed and at this time it is hard to imagine woman who would be interested only in home care, marriage and kids growing. What were the main factors, whose did help women to establish their stable and equal position in this society, and why did this phenomenon evolve only after the War?
The extraordinary historical events such as World War2 always bring the extraordinary changes in the society life. This event, I think, marked the start of big changes in women`s role in the family and, more important, in the social life. Men had gone leaving the families and their workplaces empty, and somebody had to take all the services men did before the war started. The most suitable workforce in Britain during the war was women. The British government hadn`t got many alternatives – there was lack of workforce and there were women capable to fill the gap. Government allowed them to work and even advertised the image of the working women. The time during the war was tough not only for men but also for their wives left in Britain with a wide range of new responsibilities and challenges. Women became a mechanics, tank drivers, air Raid Wardens, plumbers, ambulance drivers etc. Before the war these professions were seen as a suitable career path only for men, except another extraordinary event - the First World War. Women even build a Waterloo bridge in London during the war. Women were tired, because they had to do their hard work for the society and the same amount of work at home. But this hard time had another significant meaning. It changed women attitude to their role in the society. “Many women were glad to give up grueling war work; especially when they also had maternal and domestic responsibilities, but others resented dismissal from employment they enjoyed and were good at, and the lack of respect accorded to their efforts. ” 
Paraphrasing the famous phrase of the pope, Paul 6th: Revolution has to emerge in mind first and only after in everywhere else, I could assume, that this short period of  changing roles gave birth for the feminist women, who understood, that women were capable not only for domestic needs and fertility.  Howewer only with this understanding, were wouldn`t be equal rights till now – together came two significant changes – economical stability and medical advance. Having this three points in mind, the vision how could women went through so much changes during so short period becomes more easy to understand. 
Men returned from the War, women returned to their position before the war. As the family model would be as it was before, but situation had changed. The British government was preparing both sides of this – women got guide how to behave than the husband returns, so did the ex soldiers. The economical situation didn`t let women stay at home for long. After the war there were lack of workforce and because of this reason it was popular between the women to have the part-time work.
The significant economic changes were taking place in the post war Britain and they brought the wind of changes into family life altogether. Before the economical advance for many women domestic labour was difficult task to make. “Most homes used electricity only for heating and ironing, only 19 per cent had an electric cooker in 1948, 15 per cent a water heater, 4 per cent a washing machine and 2 per cent a refrigerator”  Domestic advances has made women life much more simple. Washing and cooking tasks after the economic boom, when almost every family became capable to buy some of the electronic goods, took so little time as never before. Time and money made women more independent. Women could have their part-time jobs and be more independent from their husbands.
Also the Divorce Law was made easier by the policy makers by 1971. “This enabled divorce on the grounds of irretrievable breakdown after two years and after seven years separation without the consent of one partner” This was a path for women right to choose. Also, after the economical advances evolved remarkable changes of the partners demands and roles in the marriage. Before the man was the working force, who was responsible for a financial side of family life and often was called head of the family. Woman in the family acted as a mother and as a maid taking all domestic responsibilities. “The former was supported by an externally imposed moral code, which was subject to change as marriage became more companionate and less patriarchal, which in turn largely reflected the changes in the status of women” 
One more significant change in family life was the age of marriage. The couples who were getting married age were getting younger as people were getting much higher wages, it was much easier to create the family life, but together with younger marriages came the rise of the divorces. Younger spouse was more likely to search sex outside the marriage, also for women it was easened by the rise of the use of the contraceptive pill.  In the British society had arose lone motherhood problem.
One more significant change in the British society in the time of the economic boost was the birth of adolescence. Young people became a group, which had their own interest, had their pocket money, and became attractive consumers. “Pop music, soon a mass entertainment industry became the centerpiece of youth culture. Rock and roll replaced jazz as the vehicle of subversion against sexual constraint” . Also the fact that the education system became more equal between genders acted important part in shaping women worldview and the place in the society. Young women in 1960s very often were rebellious against old-fashioned dogmas popular between their parents and were looking for a new experience and often were seeking for a new way of life.
But without the birth of a contraceptive pill women wouldn`t have understand their equality with men. The contraceptive pill was invented in 1952, but it became available for everybody only in 1961. Changes in the society and again economic advance popularized this contraceptive method between young families and later on between single women. The day, when women became able to control their fertility independently from men, came with contraceptive pill.  And it brought wind of changes in many aspects of women life.
“It became possible for women to lead lives in which they could engage in sexual activity without lifelong economic and social consequences, as only men had previously done”  This occasion was without historical precedent. The pill finally allowed women to be equal part of the society, because they could choose the way they wanted to live their life. They could avoid getting pregnant and get married, they could choose then they would like to have a baby and create a family. Women became landlady`s of their own life and body because of this medical advance, which set them free as they had never been before.
This possibility to organize their own life and plan childbirths led women to sexual experiences, premarital sexual relations with men and for the first time opened wide variety of possibilities for a future. Women became a full-fledged member of British society. Women because of this medical advance soon experienced moral odds, when it became clear that this situation from one side made women free, from another side lightened other problems which came with the sexuality. “The 1960s, Nicola Lane pointed out, was totally male-dominated. A lot of girls just rolled joints – it was what you did while you sat quietly in the corner, nodding your head. You were not really encouraged to be a thinker. You were there really for fucks and domesticity. “
It is important to understand that the contraceptive pill just opened the long way women had to go after. The equal rights didn`t came together with a pill, but, in my opinion, without this medical advance it wouldn`t be possible to look for a gender equality at all. After this invention the image of independent woman became imaginable and real. Women were doing experiments with their own bodies, some of them were having as many sexual partners as ever wanted, some of them were seeking careers, some of the became lone women. ”Infallible contraception broke the carefully maintained link between female sexuality, reproduction and domesticity which had been the central mechanism for controlling women”  The traditional idea about women role in the family and the society life changed forever.
In nowadays society there are always discussions about equal rights and equal pay between the genders. The role of the father in the family became more important in British Man`s life, equal rights is everywhere – beginning with domestic home care ending with the education, laws and equal career possibilities. However the responsibility to give birth and to take the role of the mother is lying on women shoulders and no pill ever could replace this.