Page:Britain An official handbook 1954.pdf/25



The great majority of British males over 15 years of age are in full-time gainful employment, and the majority of females are either housewives or in full-time gainful employment (see p. 214). In many cases housewives also undertake part-time or even full-time employment.

Agreed hours of full-time work for the majority of occupations tend to be about 44 hours a week, with some variation on each side. Actual weekly hours worked by men average a little longer owing to overtime working, and actual hours worked by women and girls average a little less (see p. 225). To these hours must often be added the time taken in travel to and from work. According to a sample survey made in August 1943, over 75 per cent of wage earners in large towns spent half an hour a day travelling to and from work, mainly by public transport, while over 30 per cent spent over an hour in such daily travel. This survey was made in exceptional war-time conditions, and the average time taken in travelling to work may have slightly decreased outside Greater London in spite of the continuing movement of population away from the centre of large towns. In Greater London, however, a sample survey made in 1949 showed that the average time taken in travelling to and from work was 88 minutes a day.

In addition, there is often a long journey from home to the main shopping centre in both urban and rural areas. According to a sample survey made in 1946 it averaged about 18 minutes each way, and in many rural areas took much longer. In most areas there are, of course, one or two shops much closer at hand.

One consequence of the distance from home to work and to shops is the growth of the habit of eating away from home. This habit has been encouraged by the rationing of certain uncooked foods and by the establishment of factory and office canteens providing cheap meals at places of work. The majority of all schoolchildren and probably about a third of all adults, except housewives, take some meals regularly outside their homes.

According to a sample survey made in 1947, only 6 per cent of housewives employ any paid help, and only 1 percent have a resident servant. Housewives appear, in general, to have rather less leisure and considerably fewer periods of continuous leisure of over one hour than other persons in Britain.

Most employees, in addition to 1½ or 2 days' holiday each week and 6 statutory public holidays a year, get at least one week's continuous holiday in the year. In fact, about half the population take at least a week's holiday away from home every year, mostly in July and August. Some two-thirds of these spend their holiday by the sea in Britain. About 4½ per cent of holidaymakers go abroad.

At least a quarter of the adult population is interested in playing or going to watch outdoor sports; the most popular are Association football and cricket. In England alone about 23,000 football clubs—mainly amateur clubs—are affiliated to the English Football Association, excluding another 9,000 clubs in the armed forces, universities and schools. Some 750,000 youths and men play in weekly football matches during the winter months; spectators at professional football matches number about a million weekly. Cricket is played by children, youths and men of every walk of life, especially in England. Attendance at first-class cricket matches is somewhat smaller than at professional football matches, but the 'Test' matches between the cricket teams of Commonwealth countries have become of nation-wide interest. Cricket is less popular in Scotland, where golf has pride of place. Race meetings throughout the country draw large crowds, while many other sporting events, for instance rugby football matches in the winter months and, in the summer, tennis tournaments, especially the annual lawn tennis championships at Wimbledon, have their smaller but devoted public. Every form of outdoor pursuit from