In 1951 the United Nations recommended equal pay for equal work regardless of sex, race or religion. In Australia, women were having a hard time trying to get governments, employers and some trade unions to support this.In 1969 the Arbitration Commision ruled that women should receive equal pay if it was proved that they were doing the same job as men in the occupation they shared. Basically, equal pay would only apply only in areas where most of the workers were men. so only 18% of Australian women benefited from the 1969 Equal Pay Decision. Some women protested by chaining themselves to the entrances of the Arbitration Court in Melbourne. They argued that the decision was unfair because it would do nothing to raise the wages of women in industries where most of all employees in particular jobs were women. Other women activists expressed their anger by refusing to pay more than two-thirds of their train fare. This was a protest against their receiving as workers only two-thirds of the male pay.
Increases in women's employment saw women continue in occupations that reflected traditional expectations of them as carers. Very few women gained entry into the more prestigious male occupations. Women had great difficulty in establishing that the work they did was of the same value and skill level as done by men. The Whitlam Labor government promised to address the needs of the women who worked in female dominated industries. He made his promise a reality when in 1974, the commission awarded a minimum adult wage so that the minimum wage for both sexes was equal.
Since 1970, feminists have gained much publicity for their ideas through various forms of political activism; protest marches, publication of magazines, leaflets, websites, articles and books, and lobby groups. The most outstanding lobby group in Australia has been the Womens Electoral Lobby. Formed in 1972, it promoted womens issues by lobbying candidates at state and federal elections. Considering that parliament remains male-dominated to this day, Womens Electoral Lobby successes have been impressive. Its efforts have done so much to pursuade governments to open health centres, family planning clinics and child care centres, and to increase opportunities for women. Womens Electoral Lobby has done so much to promote greater involvement of women in government and industry.
Many women's groups within Australia- from conservative groups like the Country Women's Assosciation, whose members were more likely to seek minimal change, to radical groups wanting complete rejection of existing social relationships- became involved in the new ideas put forward by the women's liberation movement. Women with a broad range of views participated in activities for the 1975 International Women's Year.
Australia was slowly beginning to introduce changes that supported women's rights and freedoms. Governments and legal and medical legislation, improved educational opportunities, the introduction of women's health services and the establishment of childcare facilities, women's refugees and rape crisis centres.
By the end of World War II, millions of people residing in Europe were forced to leave their homes and were unable to return. In Australia, a census taken at the end of the war showed that Australia's population was too small. These meant that if Australia continued this way, industry would collapse and Australia would be unable to defend the country against attack. To increase its population, Australia decided to take in more immigrants.
The first migration after the war was the United Kingdom. This was the Free and Assister Passage Agreements program. By June 1969, over 40% of the people who migrated to Australia were Anglo-Saxon, this was mainly due to Arthur Calwells influence on the Australia public. Calwell, the first immigration minister, believed that Australia should focos on attracting British people to live in Australia. However, when the numbers of British people were not enough to increase Australias population substantially, Australia turned to other European countries.
The first non-British immigrants in the 1940s were displaced people. These were people who had been force to leave their homeland during the war and because of the destruction of war, they had no homes to return to. Majority of immigrants came from eastern Europe and the Middle East.
In the late 1940's the official policy was Assimilation. This meant that migrants were expected to discard their culture and blend into Australia's traditional British-based culture. Arthur Calwell believed that there should be 10 British migrants for every non-speaking english migrant. Since he could not achieve that aim, Calwell welcomed immigrants from Europe. However, he firmly believed in the "White Australia" policy-no Asians or Blacks were allowed (that changed in the 1960's).
Migrants were treated poorly. They encountered racial prejudice and were expected to become quickly assimilated to the "Australia Way of Life". The male migrants were forced to work for unskilled manual labour, which were then considered "dirty jobs". Many were employed in remote places such as the Snowy Mountains, where they built the huge hydro-electric scheme. The government offered very few facilities to help migrants learn english and find suitable jobs for their skills and abilities. Many university educated migrants were employed in manual labour because Australian employers would not recognise their overseas qualifications.
In 1972, the Whitlam Labor Government formally ended the "White Australia Policy" and replaced the Assimilation policy with multiculturalism. Distinct ethnic traditions would no longer be scorned simply because they did not fit the majority culture. Diverse cultures would be promoted as part of a broader, richer Australian culture. The Whitlam Government saw the change as essential for Australia, as the old policy had been based on racism.
Many migrants put up with the hardships. Compared with the societies they had come from, Australia's social and political system seemed peaceful and no-dictatorial, and jobs were secure in the 1950's and 1960's. Many successful migrants owned their own homes and businesses by the 1960's, even if many found they were still regarded as "second class" citizens.
The wave of immigration and women’s rights reform during the post-war period has greatly changed the character of Australian society, which before the war had been monocultural, inward-looking and conservative to one that was progressive.
