1. Why did it take so long for women to achieve the vote? Summary

2. Male Attitudes  19 th century British society was male dominated  Women treated as inferior  Negative attitudes of important women e.g. Queen Victoria  Women too emotional to vote!  Women too poorly educated  Government dominated by men

3. Women and the Law  Women not equal under law  Men made laws  Men dominated the legal system  Family law favoured men  Some improvement in late 19 th century e.g. divorce law

4. Women and Education  Lacked good education – used as an excuse for not granting the vote  Lack of education restricted women’s careers  Professions only opened up after 1900 e.g. medicine  Universities slowly opened up in late 19 th century

5. Women and Employment/Trade Unions  Workplace dominated by men  Trade unions dominated by men  Women’s employment rights seen as different to those of men  Women suffered at work e.g. lower pay  Very slow acceptance of women as TU members

6. Campaign for the Vote  Two movements reduced effectiveness of the campaign  Suffragists – supported for vote based on property!  Suffragettes – negative effects on public opinion  Not all classes of women involved in the campaign  Not all women were interested in the vote – involved in other campaigns e.g. health

7. Politics/Political Parties  Government distracted by other issues e.g. social reform  Political parties divided over votes for women  Liberals/Conservatives were afraid of how women would vote in elections  Labour supported votes for women but lacked influence in government

8. Conclusion  Very slow change in male attitudes  Law slow to change  Trade unions slow to change  Suffragists changed attitudes very slowly  Suffragettes had negative impact  Lack of involvement working class women  Political parties slow to change