Britain 1851-1951

1. Britain 1851-1951

2. Women and the vote

3. Women and the vote • LEARNING INTENTIONS • Explain the main reasons that women gained the vote on the same basis as men in 1928: • Changing social attitudes • The Suffragists • The Suffragettes • World War One • Other countries’ influence • Political advantage • Male political progress

4. Changing Social Attitudes

5. Women and the vote Changing attitudes More women had jobs, letting them earn money and achieve more independence. In addition women were the main or only earners in many homes e.g. mill workers in Dundee. Women also had more education opportunities; primary education was compulsory from 1872, and more women were attending university.

6. Women and the vote Changing attitudes Women had also gained more legal rights, such as: • Infant Custody Act 1873 (allowed women to keep custody of children after divorce) • Local Government Act 1894 (votes for property owning women in local elections) • Married Women’s Property Act 1882 (let married women keep ownership of their property)

7. Women and the vote Changing attitudes Women also played a greater political role, such as taking part in campaigns, or even becoming mayors, such as Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. All of this happened at the same time as more men were getting the right to vote. In 1867 and 1884, working class men had gained the Franchise.

8. Women and the vote Influence of WW1 World War One helped change attitudes towards women too. As men were sent overseas to fight in the war, women did the jobs left vacant, undermining ideas they were irresponsible. Also, the Suffragettes suspended their violent campaign to support the war effort.

9. Women and the vote Changing attitudes As women gained more legal rights, this was evidence that negative social attitudes towards them were beginning to change. Women’s war effort – both working and the Suffragettes suspending their campaign – also enhanced the idea that women were responsible and deserved the vote.

10. Women and the vote Changing attitudes Women’s political progress (such as getting elected in local areas) showed that they were more than capable of participating in politics and so should gain the right to vote. Furthermore, the fact that poor men had the vote whilst rich and educated women increased support for women’s demands.

11. Women and the vote Changing attitudes Working women were not new – they had been at the heart of the industrial revolution (c.1750s-1850s). This was almost two centuries before women could vote. Also many working women did not actually get the vote in 1918; under-30s and poorer women (one of the main groups of workers) were not included at first.

12. The Suffragists

13. Women and the vote Pressure Groups - Peaceful The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (the Suffragists, led by Millicent Fawcett) took part in peaceful campaigns including meetings, petitions and parliamentary bills. They also worked with the new Labour Party to support the ‘Votes for all’ campaign.

14. Women and the vote Pressure Groups - Peaceful The peaceful protests that the Suffragists engaged in showed them to be responsible, supporting the idea that women should gain the right to vote. Peaceful campaigning also won them support from different groups, including some male MPs.

15. Women and the vote Pressure Groups - Peaceful Some women had been campaigning since at least the 1860s, without any progress or success. A peaceful approach had not persuaded politicians to give them the vote. Clear action was needed to make them listen.

16. The Suffragettes

17. Women and the vote Pressure Groups - Violent Formed in 1903, the Women’s Social and Political Union (theSuffragettes) were led by Emmeline Pankhurst. They were set up because they grew frustrated with different governments’ failure to listen to women. They often used the same peaceful methods as the Suffragists.

18. Women and the vote Pressure Groups - Violent The Suffragettes were most famous for using violent campaign methods. This included arson (burning Lloyd George’s house), attacking police officers and acts of vandalism such as destroying post boxes. In 1913, Emily Davison died at the Derby after running in front of the king’s horse).

19. Women and the vote Pressure Groups - Violent Unlike the Suffragists, the Suffragettes violent actions gained a high profile. This meant the issue of women voting was regularly discussed in newspapers and parliament, increasing pressure on the government to act.

20. Women and the vote Pressure Groups - Violent Arrested suffragettes often engaged in hunger strikes. This led to force feeding of women in prisons. Emily Davison was force fed on 49 occasions. The image of force feeding increased sympathy for the Suffragettes and their cause.

21. Women and the vote Pressure Groups - Violent Violent women played into the stereotype of women being undeserving of the right to vote. This in turn undermined the Suffragists’ campaign too. Furthermore the Suffragettes refused to support Labour’s ‘votes for all’ campaign, suggesting less concern for working class women.

22. Women and the vote Pressure Groups - Violent Events in Ireland also caused problems. There were many people in Ireland taking part in armed struggle to make Ireland independent from Britain. The British Government did not want to be seen to give in to violence, especially after events such as the 1916 Easter Rising.

23. World War One

24. Women and the vote Role of World War 1 Women played a vital role in the First World War, including working in male jobs whilst men fought overseas, and helping the war effort, including working in munitions factories. Chemicals such as sulphur turned ‘munitionettes’ skin yellow, earning them the nickname ‘canary girls’.

25. Women and the vote Role of World War 1 Women did a variety of other important tasks too. This included becoming bus conductors, working in various factories and also becoming police officers. In 1915, Edith Smith became the first policewoman to be granted power of arrest.

26. Women and the vote Role of World War 1 WW1 also allowed women’s pressure groups to demonstrate a responsible attitude. The Suffragettes and Suffragists both suspended their campaigns at the outbreak of war, arguing that they could not fight at home whilst British men were fighting and dying overseas.

27. Women and the vote Role of World War 1 World War One also allowed women to show their responsibility as part of Britain’s military effort. Although they weren’t allowed to fight, many women went overseas to work as doctors, nurses and ambulance drivers, or even help in other roles such as mechanics.

28. Women and the vote Role of World War 1 Many people argue that women gaining the vote in 1918 was a ‘thank you’ for their various wartime efforts. In addition the decision of the Suffragettes and Suffragists to suspend their campaign at the start of war showed women to be responsible and deserving of the vote.

29. Women and the vote These wartime cartoons show that attitudes towards female suffrage changed due to women’s war role, and also because of the difficulty of arguing that the war was a fight for freedom – at the same time as women were denied this at home.

30. Women and the vote Role of World War 1 Even after the war, not all women gained the vote. Only those over 30 who were property owners or married to property owners. Many of the women who worked in munitions factories were poor, single women under 30. They did not gain the vote in 1918, meaning that the war is not a clear reason.

31. Other countries’ influence

32. Women and the vote Other countries Countries which were members of the British Empire gave the vote to women: • New Zealand, 1893 • Australia, 1902 • Canada (some areas), 1916 British women were also inspired by suffrage campaigns in other countries.

33. Women and the vote Other countries The actions of other empire countries undermined Britain’s opposition to female suffrage. They could not be seen as a leader if other empire countries led the way on change. Also, during WW1 Britain said it was standing up for freedom, yet still refused to give women in their own country the vote.

34. Women and the vote Other countries As the head of the Empire, Britain may have been forced to give women the vote, so as not to be undermined by other members. British women were also inspired by the successes that Suffrage campaigns in other countries had, leading to more action.

35. Women and the vote Other countries Although other countries gave women the vote before 1918, many did not until after Britain. These included France (1944), the USA (1920) and Spain (1931). Also many of the countries that gave women the vote did so without conditions – unlike Britain.

36. Male Political Progress

37. Women and the vote Male political progress Men were slowly gaining more rights in terms of voting: • Middle class men in 1832 • Skilled working class in 1867 (1/3 of all men) • More working class in 1884 (2/3 of all men) • Eventually all men aged 21+ gained the vote in 1918

38. Women and the vote Male political progress One reason that women had not gained the vote was that not all men could vote. However as men were given the vote in 1918 it became harder to argue against women also voting. Some people also believed that it was unacceptable for working class men to vote whilst upper and middle class women could not.

40. Women and the vote Male political progress However this is not the full picture. Working class men had gained the right to vote in 1867, and even more again in 1884. If women being allowed to vote was solely about the class system, middle and upper class women would have gained the vote many years before.

41. Women and the vote Male political progress Conciliation Bills were proposed in 1910, 1911 and 1912. These bills – which received many votes in parliament – would have extended the vote to 1 million property-owning women – even when some men could not vote. This suggests male progress was not hugely significant.

42. Political Advantage

43. Women and the vote Political advantage For years the Liberals had rejected giving women the vote. Various Conciliation Bills had been proposed which would have extended the right to vote to older, richer women. However the Liberal governments had opposed even these steps.

44. Women and the vote Political advantage The Liberals had also actively opposed women’s campaign groups. They passed laws such as the Cat and Mouse Actwhich aimed to stop Suffragette protests. However eventually in 1918 the Liberal-led government gave some women the vote.

45. Women and the vote Political advantage The Labour Party wanted more working class people to gain the vote. This included women so they worked with the Suffragists to campaign for ‘votes for all’. The Liberals may also have feared losing votes to the Labour Party, especially remembering the 1867 ‘dishing of the Whigs’.

46. Women and the vote Political advantage Votes for women became more likely simply because David Lloyd George became Prime Minister in 1916, and as a New Liberal he was more open to the idea. There were also numerous other social reforms happening at the times (pensions, etc) so women voting was just an extension of this change.