WOMEN AND THE VOTE
An evaluation of the reasons why
women won greater political
equality by 1928
 Political Advantage
 Changing attitudes to women in society:
 the women’s suffrage campaigns;
 the militant Suffragette campaign up to 1914;
 the part played by women in the war effort, 1914–18;
 the example of other countries.
Votes for womenoverview
 The contribution made by women to the war
effort in factories, in transport and on farms for
example raised the profile of women and
demonstrated to doubters how responsible
women could be. Without them the war might
have been lost. However, there were other
reasons why women were given the vote in
1918. The Suffragist and Suffragette campaigns
in the years before 1914 had kept the issue in
the minds of the Government and the public –
even if the Suffragette violence had put off many
supporters of votes for women.
Overview cntud
 Also the position of women in society had
improved gradually and the right to vote was
seen as another step forward towards equality.
 In other countries such as New Zealand and
Australia women could vote – so why not in
Britain? Many of the newly elected MPs were now
in favour of votes for women. However, only
women over 30 and who were householders or
married to householders were given the vote.
Many younger women who had undertaken
dangerous war work in the factories did not get
the vote until 1928!
OVERALL ARGUMENT
1. Political Advantage= MOST IMPORTANTQ. How do we know this?
A. look at who they gave the vote to!
Other Factors- you can pick your own importance BUT MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A
REASON TO BACK IT UP!

Changing attitudes to women in society:- relied on other factors e.g war work and
women being organised into campaigns

the women’s suffrage campaigns;- Good but didn’t actually give them the vote

the militant Suffragette campaign up to 1914;- publicity but turned some away.

the part played by women in the war effort, 1914–18;- changed attitude but not
involved in changing the law i.e women over 30.

the example of other countries. – might have had some pressure but not enough
to change the law (not all women given the vote) and close Ally and neighbour
France HAD NOT given women the vote yet either.
WOMEN AND THE VOTE
BACKGROUND
background
The arguments for and against women's suffrage
For
Against
Women are equal before God.
A woman's place is in the home; going out
into the rough world of politics will change
her caring nature.
Women already have the vote in local
elections.
Women pay taxes.
Some women (eg doctors and mayors)
are far better than some men (eg
convicts and lunatics) who have the
vote.
Many women do not want the vote, and
would not use it if they got it.
Women do not fight in wars.
The vast mass of women are too ignorant of
politics to be able to use their vote properly.
If women are given the vote, it will not be the
Other countries have given women the gentle intelligent women who will stand for
vote.
Parliament, but the violent Suffragettes.
Parliament will be ruined.
Background info
 “different spheres”- woman's place in the home.
 Women as belonging to their husbands
 Task read p.27&28 of the textbook and sum it up in 3
sentences you can use in your introduction.
POLITICAL ADVANTAGE
POLITICAL ADVANTAGE
 Party politics
 There is also evidence to suggest that, in the pre-war period,
the Liberal government had been pressurising prospective
MPs to support women's suffrage.
 There had been meetings between the Prime Minister,
Herbert Asquith, and representatives from suffrage
organisations to discuss the matter. Asquith had even gone
as far as replacing members of his government who were
unsympathetic to the suffrage movement with those who
were. This kind of negotiation had taken place many times
previously, and nothing had come of them, but that is not to
say these would have fizzled out too.
background

Some working class men could vote

During the 19th century, the franchise was extended to include more men both in the
Second Reform Act 1867 and the Third Reform Act 1884.

Only about 58% of the adult male population could vote before 1918, the remainder
being ineligible due to residency qualifications or other restrictions. Only men who had
been resident in the country for 12 months prior to a general election were entitled to
vote.

This effectively disenfranchised a large number of troops who had been serving
overseas in the war. With a general election imminent, politicians were persuaded to
extend the vote to all men and some women at long last.

Representation of the People Act 1918

In 1918 the Representation of the People Act was passed which allowed women over
the age of 30 who met a property qualification to vote. Although 8.5 million women
met this criteria, it only represented 40 per cent of the total population of women in the
UK.

The same act abolished property and other restrictions for men, and extended the vote
to all men over the age of 21. Additionally, men in the armed forces could vote from
the age of 19. The electorate increased from eight to 21 million, but there was still
huge inequality between women and men.
British Politics
Conservatives
Supported by the rich
upper classes
Liberals
Supported mainly by the
well off middle classes
Labour
Brand new party, will be
supported by the working
class but most working
class men don’t have the
vote yet.
Political Advantage
 Political advantage says the reason women got the vote
was not because they deserved it but because the
Liberals and Conservatives were worried they would lose
power when all working class men voted Labour. Most
historians feel this is the main reason women got the
vote in 1918.
Politics
The act only enfranchised women over 30.
Many of the women who had worked in the
fields and in munitions factories were under 30
and therefore did not get the right to vote.
There was a belief among politicians that
women over 30 were more able to understand
the intricacies of politics and that they would
be less likely to support radical ideas. It was
also reckoned that women over 30 would be
more likely to be married with children – also
making them less likely to belong to radical
movement with radical ideas.
Evidence
LOOK AT WHO GOT THE VOTE!
It was women over 30. If they had done it for “moral” reasons
then they would have given it to all women.
Pugh- Votes for Women in Britain 1867-1928 Historical
Association, New Appreciations in History- “ Extending the right
to vote gad never been simply a matter if weighing arguments
of principle; politicians were often much more concerned about
the practical implications for their parties or their lot as MP’s”
Push (as above) – “ Conservatives found it easier to accept the
women’s vote as part of a wider package . For them the real
problem had been class rather than sex; once they had
accepted the enfranchisement of working class men, there
seemed little point in holding out against women. Indeed some
Tories regarded female voters as a compensating factor for
their party”
SUFFRAGISTS
NUWSS
 National Union of Women's Suffrage societies
 Formed in 1897 and led by Millicent Fawcett.
 Peaceful protest
 1910 petition with 250,000 signatures in favour of women gaining
the vote
 Propaganda e,g Newspaper “the Suffragist” 1913 spent £45,000 on
publicity.
 Protests- e.g Hyde Park protest 50,000 people
 Working with politicians
 Sandra Holten Argues that this pre war campaigning was important
in raising awareness of the topic.
 By 1900 there was already evidence that many Members of
Parliament had been won over. Several Bills in favour of women's
suffrage gained considerable support in Parliament, though not
enough to pass
Notes
 Read p. 33 and take notes about the Suffragists
SUFFRAGETTES
Emmeline Pankhurst
suffragettes video
1909 the WSPU had branches all
over the country and published
a newspaper called Votes for
Women which sold 20,000
copies each week.
methods

From the early 20th century some women who pursued militant methods of
campaigning were known by the initially derogatory term 'suffragettes', a description
first used by the Daily Mail in 1906

heckled politicians,

held marches,

members chained themselves to railings

attacked policemen

broke windows

slashed paintings

set fire to buildings,

threw bombs and went on hunger strike when they were sent to prison.

October 1908 when it encouraged the public to join them in an attempt to invade the
House of Commons. 60,000 people gathered but the police cordon held fast

The first hunger strike was undertaken by Marion Wallace-Dunlop in 1909 as a protest
when she was not given political prisoner status in prison. She had been arrested for
damaging a wall in St. Stephen's Hall in the Houses of Parliament. 'Cat and Mouse
Act'

The Prisoners' Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act, also known as 'The Cat and
Mouse Act' was passed in 1913.

Male militants- Some men actively played a part in militant suffragette activity. One
man who played a leading role was Frederick Pethick-Lawrence, joint editor of the
publication 'Votes for Women' with his wife Emmeline. Frederick Pethick-Lawrence was
imprisoned, went on hunger-strike and was forcibly fed on many occasions. He was an
MP between 1923 and 1931, and remained influential in Parliament as an elder
statesman in the House of Lords later in life.
Emily Wilding Davison
 Emily Wilding Davison was particularly committed to
'deeds not words', notably hiding in the House of
Commons on a number of occasions, including on
Census night in April 1911 when she spent the night in a
cupboard in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in order to
state 'House of Commons' as her address on her census
return.
 She was imprisoned eight times for offences including
assault and stone-throwing. Her final, and most
dramatic, act was to step out in front of the King's horse
at the Epsom Derby in June 1913. It is unclear whether
she intended to commit suicide, but she died soon
afterwards of her injuries.
QUOTES (more historiography at the end)

At one point, Churchill proclaimed that "their cause has marched backwards".

“The argument of the broken pane of glass is the most valuable argument in modern
politics.- Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst, speaking on 16 February 1911 .

In spite of their mistakes, the militants revitalised the women’s suffrage movement.
Something more than the traditional constitutional methods was needed. Believing their
cause to be just, it is no wonder that many supported Emily Wilding Davison’s motto:
‘Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God’. Constance Rover: Women's Suffrage and
Party Politics (1967

The madness of the militants… the small body of misguided women who profess to
represent the noble and serious cause of political enfranchisement of women, but in fact
do their utmost to degrade and hinder it. Manchester Guardian ( 2 March 1912 )

At the height of the WSPU’s window-breaking campaign Nothing could indicate more
plainly their lack of fitness to be entrusted with the exercise of political power. Morning
Post ( 2 March 1912 )

Haven’t the Suffragettes the sense to see that the very worst way of campaigning for
the vote is to try and intimidate a man into giving them what he would gladly give
otherwise? - Lloyd George, speaking in 1913.

A deed of this kind is not likely to increase the popularity of any cause with the ordinary
public. Reckless fanaticism is not regarded by them as a qualification for the vote.’
‘There can be no doubt that yesterday’s exhibition did more harm than good for the
cause of women’s suffrage.’ ‘The Times’ – after Emily Davison’s death
Notes
 Read p.34-37 and take notes about the Suffragettes
 (make sure to copy evidence about their
importance/unimportance)
WAR WORK- Argument

Between 1914 and 1918, an estimated two million women replaced men in employment, resulting
in an increase in the proportion of women in total employment from 24 per cent in July 1914 to 37
per cent by November 1918.

“The highly skilled and dangerous work done by women during the war…was probably the greatest
factor in the granting of the vote to women.” Lewis- this means he think It was a token of
gratitude for their effort during the war.
Some historians such as Arthur Marwick (War and Social Change in the Twentieth Century, 1974), have
argued that while it's possible that their role in the workplace would have earned them political
advancement eventually, it was the war which highlighted the economic and strategic value of women
to the country.

BUT

The contribution women made during the war had an impact on attitudes to women. Politicians
and the general public alike recognised that women deserved greater political rights. But it was
not the only, and may not even have been the main, reason why women received the vote. Think
about it. The women who benefited in 1918 were mature and married females. Young women who
had contributed so much in the munitions factories and elsewhere were given no recognition by
the government.

So the significance of women's war work may have been exaggerated by some historians. It's also
true that the various women's political movements had prepared the ground for political
recognition. Look at France for comparison, where women were not enfranchised at that time,
despite their war effort. This was largely due to the fact that there was no women's suffrage
movement in France pre-war
War work notes-
 Read p. 38-39 AND P.20-22 and take notes about
women's war work.
 Make sure you have facts of the work women did in the
war.
When women got the vote OTHER
COUNTRIES
1893
- New Zealand is the first country to
give women the vote
1902
- Australia
1906
- Finland (first country in Europe).
1917
- Russia
1918 - United Kingdom (partial), Germany,
Canada, Austria.
Women and the vote- other
countries
 http://www.theguardian.com/globaldevelopment/interactive/2011/jul/06/un-women-votetimeline-interactive
 BUT France hadn’t given women the vote.
Changing attitudes
Social and political change
 Growth of socialism/organised Labour (more equality).
 Urbanisation (people together in large numbers, small ideas
spread and grow).
 Spread of newspapers/transport.
 Education (especially women but also men).
 Change in economic role of women.
 Changing views of politicians
 Votes for women in other countries – New Zealand (1893),
Australia (1902).
 Read p. 29-30 and take notes
SUMMARY
 RE READ P.20-22 OF YOUR TEXTBOOK AND TAKE NOTES
Why did women
get the vote in
1918?
The Activities
of
Suffragettes
and Suffragists
Tactics had
gained
publicity
before 1914
Suffragettes
stopped
violence when
War began
Did voluntary
work
Women’s
War work
Government/
Public sympathy
Changes in
other countries
Helped
the
War effort
Change of
Government
New MP’s more
in favour
Women given
the right to
Vote in New
Zealand, Canada
Australia
Took over
Men’s jobs
Worked in
factories
Made shells
for guns
historiography
 women historians
 Use hand out sheet
RESOURCES
 http://www.parliament.uk/about/livingheritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote
/
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh
/britain/votesforwomenrev1.shtml
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/history/
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0544j0j- Link to
BBC Programme “Suffragettes forever! The Story of
Women and Power “