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Votes for Women (Morrison Ch. 3)

Votes for Women (Morrison Ch. 3). As democracy developed in Britain during the second half of the 19 th century so too did women’s rights. We will look at 4 aspects of their lives Legal Financial Education Political. Improvements to women’s legal rights.

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Votes for Women (Morrison Ch. 3)

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  1. Votes for Women(Morrison Ch. 3) As democracy developed in Britain during the second half of the 19th century so too did women’s rights. We will look at 4 aspects of their lives Legal Financial Education Political

  2. Improvements to women’s legal rights • In family law: issues of divorce, custody of children and maintenance. • Why were there improvements? • Mainly due to efforts of middle class feminists with time, resources, social connections and an education, motivated to reject the inequalities women faced because of the law.

  3. Improvements to women’s legal rights (p. 29/30. Morrison) • Some changes to family law. • 1857 – 1912. Acts passed which let women • Get access to children after divorce. • Keep their own property after divorce • Claim maintenance from ex-husbands • Be sole guardians of their children if hubby died • Have the right to separation if husband consistently cruel or in prison. • Equal rights for men and women seeking divorce(1912) • By 1914, significant legal rights were achieved. Marriage was still popular. Divorce easier. BUT, women were still expected to ‘suffer in silence’ in a bad relationship as her duty to the family

  4. Improvements to women’s legal rights (p. 29/30. Morrison) • At work- • 1874 Women’s Trade Union League. • Campaign to improve health and safety conditions and pay at work for working class women. • Major success in Match Girls’ Strike 1889 • Result – • Match Makers Union formed • M + F workers see “united we stand” • Male dominated unions (dockers, gas workers) recruit women on equal basis into unions.

  5. Financial improvements • In the family: • Married Women’s Property Acts 1870 + 1882 • Keep their own property after divorce • Claim maintenance from ex-husbands • See page 30 (Morrison)

  6. Financial improvements At work: • Match Girl’s Strike result – better pay • 1906 National Federation for Women Workers • Anti Sweating League: ‘Sweated trades’ (home working and sweat shops) • Trade Boards Act 1909 led to Wage Boards who set minimum wages for women • Assessment: by 1914 • No doubt pay had increased and working conditions had improved for women • BUT in comparison to men, still a long way to go.

  7. Educational improvements (p.31/32 Morrison) • 1850s focus on domestic skills teaching for girls • 1848 Queens College London. first women’s college- training women teachers • 1860s Emily Davis campaigned for Latin, Greek, Maths, Science for girls too. • 1874 founder of Girton College, Cambridge University • 1879 Oxford Uni, women’s college, Scottish Uni’s accept women equally with men. Assessment: Considerable progress. Increase of middle class women to professions, nursing, teaching, social work, medicine, law

  8. Political improvements(p. 32 Morrison) • 1881 10 women delegates at Trades Union Congress (TUC)- so voice for policy making and leadership in male dominated working class institution. • 1887 NUWSS - Suffragists • 1903 WSPU - Suffragettes • BUT little real progress made by 1900. • Women’s suffrage was debated in the HoC • 1867. 73 MPs voted in favour of amendment to Reform Bill • 1884. 135 MPs voted in favour of amendment to Reform Bill • By 1890s many MPs supported the idea of women’s suffrage but few committed support for a Bill to enact it.

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