1. Women and the Vote Lesson Starter Write down what you can see in this picture e.g. convict, padlock. What do you think this picture is trying to show?

2. Today we will… Identify the reasons for/against women getting the vote. Evaluate the reasons for/against women getting the vote.

3. Success criteria… I will categorise the reasons for/against women getting the vote. I will decide the main reason why women should be given the right to vote.

4. At the start of the 20 th century, women were not equal with men. Women were seen to be in charge of the home, while the men went out to work. Importantly, they were not allowed to vote in national general elections. Some people began to support the campaign to give women the vote (women’s suffrage). Copy: Suffrage = Right to vote

5. The Victorians thought that the ideal wife was: – Angelic – Obedient – Pale and delicate – Silent – A possession (when a woman married her husband, her possessions and even the woman herself legally became her husband’s property)

6. Copy: Women had made progress in some areas. They were allowed to vote in local elections. In 1865, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson became the first qualified female doctor. In 1879, Somerville College opened at Oxford University – the first female college.

7. Task You will be given a set of arguments for/against women getting the right to vote. Cut out the statements and divide them into for/against. Women can be teachers, lawyers and doctors. These are difficult jobs and require a good education. Women are not able to fight in the army so cannot defend the country. This means they are not full citizens. The number of women in work is increasing. Women are becoming more involved in society. Women do not want to vote. Not giving women the vote means that they are treated the same as criminals. Past experience shows that men are perfectly capable of governing without women. There is no need for change. Women would be more likely to want social reforms which would better the conditions of the country. Women are increasingly involved in political activities, like trade unions. This means they understand what’s going on. If women could vote they might abandon their families for politics. If women could vote, Britain would seem weaker to the other world powers. It might look as though we are soft. Women were allowed to vote in Australia, New Zealand and some parts of the USA. This has been successful. If more people could vote, the government would be able to say that it was more democratic and represented more people. Women can already vote in local elections which deal with ‘female’ issues. They don’t need to vote on other issues. Women would be told how to vote by their husbands. This would give their husbands two votes. Women could vote in local elections and had proven that they didn’t vote for radical or ‘wacky’ people.

8. Once you have checked your answers, take a double page in your jotter and put the headings “For” and “Against”. Stick the arguments for on one side and arguments against on the other. Women can be teachers, lawyers and doctors. These are difficult jobs and require a good education. Women are not able to fight in the army so cannot defend the country. This means they are not full citizens. The number of women in work is increasing. Women are becoming more involved in society. Women do not want to vote. Not giving women the vote means that they are treated the same as criminals. Past experience shows that men are perfectly capable of governing without women. There is no need for change. Women would be more likely to want social reforms which would better the conditions of the country. Women are increasingly involved in political activities, like trade unions. This means they understand what’s going on. If women could vote they might abandon their families for politics. If women could vote, Britain would seem weaker to the other world powers. It might look as though we are soft. Women were allowed to vote in Australia, New Zealand and some parts of the USA. This has been successful. If more people could vote, the government would be able to say that it was more democratic and represented more people. Women can already vote in local elections which deal with ‘female’ issues. They don’t need to vote on other issues. Women would be told how to vote by their husbands. This would give their husbands two votes. Women could vote in local elections and had proven that they didn’t vote for radical or ‘wacky’ people.

9. Group Task In your group decide which two reasons are most important for women getting the right to vote. You must give reasons for your answer. Do you think any of the reasons against giving women the right to vote are reasonable? Explain your answer.

10. Today we will… Identify the reasons for/against women getting the vote. Evaluate the reasons for/against women getting the vote.

11. Success criteria… I will categorise the reasons for/against women getting the vote. I will decide the main reason why women should be given the right to vote.