VOTES FOR WOMEN

Position of Women 1900 Women could divorce their husbands for cruelty, desertion and bigamy. Women could keep their own property, and leave their husbands home. Wife-battering and marital rape were legal. Couldn’t divorce their husbands for adultery. A mother had no rights over her children.

FQ: What were the arguments for and against votes for women? ForAgainst The Vote is a way of getting rid of other inequalities. If there were more women in Parliament, more laws would be passed in the favour of women. There have been changes in women’s roles. Destroying the “separate spheres” idea. If they were active in public roles, so why not vote? It’s not a democracy until women have the vote. If over ½ the country can’t vote then it’s not a democracy. Others banned from voting were criminals and those certified insane. Women and Men have separate spheres. Women have babies, men have ideas. God created them different. Women are too hysterical for politics. Women do not fight to defend their country. Women wouldn’t want Britain to go to war. They don’t earn their vote because they do not fight in the army. Dangerous to change a system that works. If it isn’t broken, why fix it? Britain was powerful in the already existing system.

Suffragists vs. Suffragettes

SuffragistsSuffragettes NUWSS- National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies Formed in 1897 Lead by Millicent Fawcett Campaigned peacefully Men were allowed to join Democratic Organisation Many middle class women and working class women They had more than 100,000 members by 1914 WSPU- Women’s Social and Political Union Formed in 1903 Lead by Emmeline Pankhurst (with her daughters Christabel and Sylvia) Used militant action for their campaign Women only movement Run solely by the Pankhurst family Many upper-class & middle class women in London. More working class in Manchester

Main Events Liberal Landslide WSPU & NUWSS Split Conciliation Bill Black Friday 2 nd Conciliation Bill Cat and Mouse Act 1913, Emily Davidson Dies

The policy of force feeding suffragettes who were on Hunger Strike had the effect of generating sympathy for the Suffragettes and was politically backfiring. The in the Temporary Discharge for Health Act, which is better known as the Cat and Mouse Act. The Cat and Mouse Act allowed temporary short term release of prisoners. The authorities now arrested them, locked them up, let them go on hunger strike and when they were weak, released them on license. They were then rearrested and put back in prison to continue their sentence when they were healthy. The Cat and Mouse Act

Women in War The war was a turning point for women and attitudes towards women. The Suffragette campaign stopped when war broke out. At first it wasn’t clear what women had to do. They were used in propaganda to encourage men to go and fight. E.g. they sent white feathers to cowards.

Women at War Total war meant that women had to take on male roles, much to some the male trade unionist’s dismay. Lloyd George gave Emmeline Pankhurst a £2000 grant to organise a rally with the slogan “Women’s Right to Serve” Lloyd George employed women when he set up the Ministry of Munitions. In July 1914 nearly 5 million were in employment. By the end of the war, it has risen to 6 million.

FQ: How did women contribute to the war effort? Campaigning White Feather Lloyd George paid Emmeline Pankhurst for “Women’s Right to Serve” Home Front Munitions 1million in munitions factories which solved the munitions crisis By million were in employment Nurses, doctors, farmers etc.

Why did women get the vote in 1918?

The War  If the suffragette campaign started again, how could they be put in prison after helping so much on the home front?  Women defended the country. They were strong, decisive and reliable. The old arguments about what women couldn’t do were clearly wrong.  The suffragettes called off their campaign when war started and instead campaigned for women to be more involved in the war effort.

Their previous campaign  Despite being involved in the war effort, women in France did not get the vote until There was no campaign for Votes for women in France pre-war.  If the suffragists and suffragettes had not been so active before the war, then no one would have thought of giving women the vote in  If their campaign returned, havoc would resume which was the last thing Britain needed post war.

Other Reasons  Men had lost their right to vote because they had been abroad for so long in the war. There had to be a parliament reform so it was a good time to include rights for women.  Conservative MPs were happy that only 30 year old women would get the vote. Young working class women might vote for the Labour Party.  Young and working class women had done the really dangerous work in the war, e.g. munitions work.  Women in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand had won the right to vote.  Lloyd George replaced Asquith as PM in He was more sympathetic to the idea of votes for women.

Young women did the work in the factories but didn’t get the recognition or the vote until Older women got the vote instead.

FQ: How effective were the campaigns of the Suffragettes and Suffragists? Suffragettes Not Effective Violence and Militant Actions meant the Government becoming hostile = Cat and Mouse Act, Force Feeding, Black Friday. Very Effective After the war they feared that their chaotic campaign would wreak havoc with an already troubled Britain. Their campaign made their cause known. Suffragists Effective They very nearly achieved the vote. They made their name heard. Not Effective They were easily brushed off by the government

FQ: Why were some women given the vote? Contribution to War If their campaign restarted, how could they be put in jail after their contribution? The “separate spheres” argument was now invalid. Their Previous Campaign Fear that it would restart Their active campaign made their cause known France did not get the vote until 1945: they had not campaigned for women’s votes.