Memories of a 60s teenager and the struggles to become a doctor.
The 60s was a decade of Mods and Rockers, the Beatles and the Stones, flower power, free sex, the pill, legal abortions, men in space/on the moon, designer Mary Quant, shopping at Biba and mini skirts. Those were the headlines, but being a teenage girl in the 60s was not completely like that even though I lived near London. Things were slower to change the further one was from the large cities.
I went to a small private girls school run by nuns. We had very limited education about science - mostly about nature, planets and flowers. At 14 a few were able to choose to do Human Biology for O level, the predecessor of GCSE. Only those taking the exam were allowed to attend the lessons and any diagrams had to be taken down at the end of the class. We were told to always have a newspaper in case in those pre- seat belt years, we had to sit on a boy's lap as we squashed people in a car. Yes, you can fit 14 teens in a small 2CV.
Sex education was non-existent and some girls had no forewarning of, or understanding of periods or the “Curse”. One girl left school on her 15th birthday, as was her right and another disappeared, presumed pregnant shortly afterwards. She was the unlucky one, another was lucky not to get pregnant after using a telephone that was still warm from the male previous user. Another was forced to get married when her parents found out she was pregnant aged 16: a so-called ‘shotgun’ marriage. Those were often short lived. Single mothers had limited support. Some families adapted and the new baby was assimilated as a younger sibling to hide the family shame.
Career counselling for me was limited: nun, nurse, teacher or a combination or wife, mother. None of those needed a university course. I wanted to be a doctor. I went to a family friend, an eminent Consultant, who told new girls they should not do medicine. I left school with a good sting of O levels and went on to studying Physics, Chemistry and Biology at O level and then A level over 3 years with encouragement from my father: the first in his family to go to university.
In those days less than 10% of the population went to university. There were less Medical Schools and they only had 10% girls in their intake. My old headteacher had to write the reference on my UCAS form and despite being a head for over 12 years, she had never previously seen one. It was not surprising I did not get any offers. I did get into St Andrews to read Science and managed to transfer to Medical Science, In those days the course was split into basic science e.g. Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Psychology, Pharmacology leading to a BSc or 2nd MB and then 3 years clinical medicine to a final degree. I had to apply to a different university to do the second part. At one university during an interview with the Dean, he told me that as a female, I would have to do a special exam before they would even consider an application. Fortunately, Cardiff accepted me and that is where I settled.
The Pill was available in the 60s, but even in the mid 70s, there was concern about giving to unmarried women. It was 1982 before it was agreed, that under 16s could be deemed clinically competent to be given prescriptions and that required a law case.
The 60s were the era of mother and baby homes and forced adoptions, which have been in the press. Not long before that unmarried girls were sentenced to lifelong incarceration in psychiatric prisons like Broadmore. Was it the Government or Society, which should be apologising? Men were encouraged to sow their wild oats! Barbers sold sheaths as something for a Friday night and pharmacists had them under the counter to be sold in brown paper bags. Abortions were often only available privately even in the 70s, as some hospitals did not provide them and they were only done by an operation.
While getting involved in medical politics, I met women who were about 15 years older than me, who had had to give up medicine when they married, and those who were only about 6 years older who had to give up, when they had children.
Childcare was limited and mainly nannies or child minders. Nurseries were very limited and hours definitely did not fit anything near the hours required one worked as a junior doctor or a trainee GP. Part time or flexible training only became available in the 90s. GPs taking maternity leave had to fund their own locums until OOs. I had a colleague, who arranged a Caesarian on a Friday evening to be able to get back to work on Monday. Trained GPs, who worked as assistants or locums rather than practice partners could not be part of the NHS pension scheme until about 2015. Paternity leave was to be developed.
Naturally, women have to make choices about careers and children and family life and that is, why we have campaigned to make things easier to balance work and family life, but the battle needs to continue to make it easier for young women to enjoy their choices and ensure they have their rights protected.
I am not sure if I would want to change places with my granddaughters, as they cope with challenges of the 20s, particularly social media.
Jane Fenton-May
Chair NAWO
