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(10) The Importance Of The Feminist Lobby Should Not Be Overstated. Whilst ...

(10)
The importance of the feminist lobby should not be overstated. Whilst there was extensive feminist opposition to Beveridge, he also gained much support, as Blackburn has pointed out:
Beveridge's views were largely in accord with those of the majority of the organised women's movement in Britain in the 1930's and 1940's; and it seems futile and somewhat patronising to berate both him and them for failing to think what they ought to have thought from the vantage point of the 1990's.(11)
I would summarise that the feminist position was important in 1942, but had little impact upon the implementation of the Beveridge proposals. The importance of the feminist position has been in the ways in which the welfare state has been altered, taking on board many of the feminist arguments. I would be my argument therefore, that the feminist argument has gained in strength and credibility over time, and is now highly influential in the shape of the welfare state.
The Beveridge report was without doubt a monumental document, which gained public acclaim to an extent which we are unlikely to ever see again. One should not underestimate the role of Beveridge himself in gaining this support. In many respects, Beveridge was a very modern politician. He manipulated the media very effectively, building up substantial support for his report before it was published. As a result, the opposition was limited. As I have mentioned, the most important opposition came from the Treasury, and this opposition did impact upon the way Beveridge was implemented. But on the whole, the support was far too extensive for it to be ignored, and the spirit, if not all the detail became the foundation of the welfare state.
FOOTNOTES:
Time: Monday, December 14th, 1942
Bartholemew, J : The Welfare State Were In (Politico, London, 2004) page 56
Mass Observation Archive: Topic Collections on Social Welfare and the Beveridge Report, 1939-1949
Ibid
Thane, P : The Foundation of the Welfare State (Logman, Harlow, 1998) page 236
Website: www.worldsocilaism.org
Website: www.davidwilletts.org.

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