GCSE Coursework: The Changing Role of Women Qs1
Key Issue: HOW EFFECTIVE WERE WOMENS CAMPAIGNS FOR
THE VOTE BETWEEN 1900 & 1914?
Lesson Objectives;
 Have a good knowledge of the different methods used by the Suffragists &
Suffragettes to try and gain women’s suffrage.
 Be able to explain how successful each organisation was.
 Develop primary source handling skills.
 Understand the importance of the Anti-suffrage movement and their
arguments
Outcomes: by the end of the lesson you will have
 Studied primary sources to develop your understanding of the methods
used by the Suffragists and Suffragettes to get women the vote.
 Rated and explained the level of success of each organisation
 Independently answered the question “How successful was the AntiSuffrage movement” in no more than 125 words.
Key Words
During the course of the lesson you must write a definition of the
following words. All the information you need will be in the information
we use today!
Suffrage
Suffragists
Cat & Mouse Act
Emmeline
Pankhurst
Women’s AntiSuffrage League
Suffragettes
Milicent Fawcette
Mud March
A name given to the right to vote in national Parliamentary
elections
GCSE Coursework: The Changing Role of Women Qs1
The Status of Women in 1900
Task: Study the source below
Source A
“Failure to recognise that man is master, and why, is at the root of the
suffrage movement. Suffragettes ignore man’s superior strength and they
ignore the fact that government runs on force. They ignore man’s superior
mind, and so think that they can think as well. They ignore man’s superior
money-earning capacity, so ignore the power of the purse.”
An extract from the Book, ‘The Case Against Woman Suffrage’, 1913
Why does source A say that women should not have the right to vote?
What is source B’s view on Women getting the vote?
Do you find this surprising? Explain your answer
The Campaign for Women’s Suffrage
A background
As the 19th century progressed, women were given a number of civil rights, including
the right to vote in local elections (see your notes for more examples). But by
1900 they had still not been given the right to vote in Parliamentary elections.
The Campaign begins
In 1866, a number of women took a petition, signed by 1,500 women and asking for
the vote, to Parliament, where two of the handful of pro-vote MPs presented it. In
1897, Millicent Fawcett brought the various women’s societies together into the
National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). These ‘Suffragists’ as
GCSE Coursework: The Changing Role of Women Qs1
they were called, campaigned peacefully for the vote. Although the number of prosuffrage MPs in the House of Commons grew, the Suffragists made little progress.
In 1903, therefore, Emmeline Pankhurst formed the Women’s Social and Political
Union (WSPU). The ‘Suffragettes’, as they can to be called, were much more
aggressive in their campaign and saw the struggle for the vote as a war - women
against men.
Activity)
 Get into groups of no more than four
 Your envelope should contain - - sources and 2 headings, ‘Suffragist
Methods’ & ‘Suffragette Methods’
 Spread out the sources on your desk.
 Each source represents a method used to try and win women the vote.
 1st – You must decide what the methods were
 2nd – You must put the method under the group you think used it.
 3rd – In your exercise book complete 2 spider diagrams
Methods
used by the
Suffragists
Methods
used by the
Suffragettes
Read the handout and Pp143 & 144 of the text book.
Make sure that you have all the different methods used by the Suffragists
and Suffragettes on your spider diagram.
 Fill in any examples, details of each method used.
Task:
Complete the table below in pencil.
On a scale of 1-10 rate how successful you think the Suffragists and
Suffragettes methods of winning the vote were.
Explain your choices.
Group
Suffragists
Suffragettes
Level of
success on
10
Explanation for the score
GCSE Coursework: The Changing Role of Women Qs1
Task: Now study the source on the board. Fill in the table above in pen.
The Campaign Against Women’s Suffrage
Task: Study the text and the Sources below.
Many men opposed women’s suffrage. Most believed that a womens
place was at home and that women should not get involved in the messy world
of politics. In 1875, a Committee for Maintaining the Integrity of the
Franchise had been formed in Parliament. This organisation aimed to make
sure that women were not given the right to vote. It had a lot of power
because it was made up largely of MPs.
The Anti-Suffragists
It was not just men who were against women’s suffrage, many women
opposed it too, for a variety of different reasons (see sources below). Many
people simply believed that the cause of women’s suffrage was wrong. In
1908 Mrs Humphrey ward, a writer and social worker, started the Women’s
Anti-Suffrage League. She believed that a woman’s place was in the home
and that everything that she did should be towards making her home a
better place. Any spare time and energy should be spent helping those less
fortunate than herself and not in fighting for her ‘rights’. In 1911 the
Women’s Anti-Suffrage League merged with the Men’s League for Opposing
Women’s Suffrage to form the National League for Opposing Women’s
Suffrage
Source C
Sources
Women, as mother, sweetheart,
inspirer and friend, man accepts and
welcomes. But once she begins to
invade his area, to do his work –
then his jealousy will burst into
flame, and everywhere there will be
great problems
Anti-Suffrage Review
In this cartoon by Bernard
Partridge the sensible woman
is saying to the Suffragette:
‘Help our cause? You’re its
worst enemy.’
In this 1909 cartoon, the
suffragette lists all the trouble
she has caused, and then
wonders why she still hasn’t got
the vote.
Source D
“I regard women as
superior and I don’t like
to see them trying to
become men’s equal”
Miss Violet Markham,
speaking in October 1910
GCSE Coursework: The Changing Role of Women Qs1
IMPORTANT: By 1914 women had not gained the right to vote in
government elections. MPs had voted against it in 1912.
Task: Using the information you have studied on the Anti-Suffrage
movement answer the following Qs in no more than 125 words in your
exercise book:
How successful was the Anti-Suffrage Movement? Fully explain
your answer
You must include;
 Details on what methods the Anti-Suffrage movement used.
 Who supported them
 Why you think they were successful or not
