A mum’s life... now We’ve got bigger but not much richer...
AN average-sized British woman was 5ft 2ins tall, weighed 9stone 10lbs and her dress size was a 12. Her waist was a slight 28 inches and her bra size was a 34B. She took a size three when it came to shoes. DOON the ‘watter’ trips and seaside holidays to the likes of Butlins were staples for families in the 1950s. But Spain was opened up for the first time in 1957 when British European Airways FEWER than one in 10 of us owned our homes. The average house price for those fortunate enough to be buying was just ONLY 13% of UK homes had a fridge, so daily shopping trips for fresh produce were necessary for many. Rationing had only ended three years before and we were a nation of fish lovers including, WITH far fewer sets than today, viewing figures for March 1957 were much lower. Drama Armchair Theatre was top of the ratings with 2.2 million and game shows like Take Your Pick and Double Your Money were in the top five with two million. It was the year the UK first entered the Eurovision JUST a third of homes had a washing machine, often twin tubs, meaning laundry was still a major daily chore.
If there was no dryer, then clothes horses or ceiling pulleys were used. AFTER wartime restrictions, the cosmetic market boomed. Boots No. 7 range had been re-launched and Avon was calling. Max Factor was the leading brand, with their Crème Puff base and powder and concealer Erace top WOMEN made up a third of the workforce but the expectation was that most married women would stay at home – the average age to get married was 25, compared to 34 today. Secretarial and typing jobs were THE average wage was just under £10 a week or £241 per year. Food, fuel and rent took up half of the money coming in. Some 6% of the weekly spend went on heating and lighting. Clothes and shoes took up
IT was, famously, the year that Prime Minister Harold Macmillan declared that “we have never had it so good”. introduced flights to Valencia. Horizon, who started the package holidays revolution, were swamped with bookings despite the fact that £32 per person prices were the equivalent of about £1,000 today. over £2,000. For most renting was the only option and the abolition of the rent control act led to terrible exploitation by landlords like Peter Rachman. recently-introduced fish fingers. A loaf cost 4p in today’s money, milk 3p and six eggs were 8p. The average household’s weekly shop was £4.80. A fish supper treat would have cost around just under a shilling, 5p. Song Contest and the nation was fooled by Panorama into thinking spaghetti grew on trees. Mums and their kids all settled down together in the afternoon for Watch With Mother, with Andy Pandy and the Flower Pot Men on the 17inch-screen.
And Britons recently voted for 1957 as being the
Fires needed to be cleaned every morning and sewing and knitting were vital life skills.
Women spent almost 50 hours a week on household duties, more than double the time today. choices. The luxury market had Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden fighting for market share. Face products were warm, with a pink or peach base. Cosmetic surgery was just a movie star thing with breast enlargements not introduced until 1962. among the most common, with 1.5 million women taking on those roles. Further education was still a largely male preserve – it wasn’t until 1957 that Oxford University abolished a quota limiting the number of women students. 10% and just less went on entertainment – including local dance hall admissions at up to one shilling and six pence (7p). But that was money well spent with 70% of couples at the time meeting on the dance floor. A pint cost 5p in 1957; 20 cigarettes cost 18p.