Votes for Women

Aim

To explain the main reasons behind women gaining the vote in 1918

Background

• In the 19th century, the general view regarding women was that they were second class citizens, physically, mentally and inferior to men and therefore incapable of voting.

• It was believed men and women lived in different ‘spheres’ with different social roles – men were breadwinners and had a professional role in Government, while women should focus on home life and children.

Background

• Attitudes started to change in the 20th century, and women now wanted to be treated equally to men. In order to do this, the first and most important step was gaining the vote. Therefore, women started campaigning for the vote and were eventually granted it in 1918.

• We are interested in why they were given the vote.

Factors

• Suffragists (Peaceful campaign)• Suffragettes (Violent campaign)• Work in World War One• Naturally Changing Attitudes

Suffragists

• National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies formed in 1897 under leadership of Millicent Fawcett.

• Tactics of ‘peaceful persuasion’ – held meetings, wrote to MPs, used petitions, public speeches.

• Campaigned for 40 years and some argued that they had little success in this time.

Analysis of Suffragist Tactics• Campaign was peaceful and quiet, not gaining much publicity

(negative). This often leads to some saying they were ineffective. This is not the case.

However… (A+)

• Gained 53,000 followers by 1914, showing how much support they had (positive).

• Campaigned gained the support of many, if not most, MPs and some trade unions – Needed if they were to successfully get a law passed giving them the vote (positive).

AnalysisConciliation Bills – Evidence of progress

Several ‘Conciliation Bills’ passed in 1910, 11 and 12 which would have granted women the vote.

• 1910 – Proposed to enfranchise 1 mil women. Parliament suspended for General Election and Bill abandoned.

• 1911 – Proposed to enfranchise certain women, Bill ‘shelved’ until next session. Lloyd George proposes bill is abandoned in favour of a new bill which would enfranchise more men and some women. Suffragists agrees. Suffragettes do not and begin ‘wild period’.

• 1912 - The FIRST bill is re-introduced. Bill fails its second reading 208 for to 222 against. This is largely due to increased violence by the WSPU. Many who had abstained previously voted against this bill.

• Argument is that Suffragists were able to get Conciliation Bills on the agenda which would have given women vote. Suffragettes largely to blame for this not happening because of their counterproductive violent methods. (A+ - Linking factors)

Evaluation

Theory that they were ‘too quiet’ and did not gain much publicity is too simplistic. They gained the support of MPs and trade unions and had massive following. This along with the introduction of Conciliation Bills, which would have been passed if not for unfortunate circumstances and Suffragettes, show that Suffragists actually played a huge part in women gaining the vote. They gained the support for the cause by the most important people – men in Government.

Suffragettes

• WSPU – Women’s Social and Political Union formed in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters.

• Frustrated by the lack of progress by Suffragists. It is true that newspapers lost interest in campaign in early 1900s – Suffragettes with motto ‘Deeds not words’ wanted to gain more publicity.

• More violent campaign – Heckling politicians, destroying property, smashing windows, pouring acid into post boxes.

Analysis

Gained much publicity through their loud, violent campaign. Campaign was often in the papers (positive).

However… (A+)

This angered many and reinforced the idea that women were irrational and too driven by emotion to have the vote – played into the hands of those who did not want them to gain the vote (negative)

Can be blamed for Conciliation Bills not getting passed, especially in 1912 (Links between factors)

Force Feeding

• Suffragettes inevitably ended up in jail because of their violent protests. When in jail, many would go on hunger strike as a further form of protest and to gain publicity.

• In order to stop this, the police began force feeding women as they did want to have the blame of a dead Suffragette on their hands.

Force Feeding - Analysis

• Stories of force feeding eventually ended up in the papers. Many were shocked at the treatment of the Suffragettes in jail as this was a brutal and immoral practise.

• This gained the Suffragettes more publicity, and more importantly gained them some sympathy from the public (positive)

Suffragette Evaluation

It is true that the Suffragettes gained the campaign much publicity and forced the Government to take action. However, the Suffragettes’ actions backed up what many believed about women’s inability to be rational and have the vote. Simply put, they done more harm than good. Churchill himself said that the Suffragettes ‘marched their cause backwards’ because of their violence.

War Work

• When war broke out, thousands of men rushed to join the armed forces.

• This left a huge gap in employment that had to be filled – women filled these jobs.

• Suffragettes and Suffragists stopped campaign and started trying to encourage people to contribute to the war effort.

• Women were now employed in factories, as bus drivers and delivering post, office work and government jobs.

• Most importantly – they worked in munitions factories making weapons and equipment for the war.

War Work Analysis

• The work women did during the war kept the home front running – they ensured factories and businesses kept running efficiently. The fact the Suffragists and Suffragettes stopped their campaign painted them in a patriotic light.

• They were doing jobs previously thought to be ‘mens jobs’ – they now proved that they could do these jobs equally as well as men.

• Work showed women to be responsible, patriotic and able to do the same jobs as men.

• Some say the vote was given to women as a ‘token of gratitude’ for their work during the war.

Really a token of gratitude? (A+)

• Some argue that women were given the vote in 1918 as a ‘thank you’ for their efforts during the war. However, it was only women over 30 or women over 21 who were homeowners who got the vote (middle class in other words).

• Most of the women working in the factories and other jobs were young and working class – they were not given the vote.

• Women in France had worked equally hard in the war and they were not given the vote – they did not have Suffrage campaigns.

• More likely argument is that Asquith gave them the vote in the guise of a ‘thank you’ to make it look like he was not giving in to violent demands of Suffragettes

Evaluation of War Work

• War work was an important factor in women gaining the vote because it helped to change attitudes towards women. It made them look responsible and willing to help their country, changing the ‘irresponsible and irrational’ view created by the Suffragettes. It must be noted that most of the women working during the war did not get the vote, and this alone would not have got them the vote however their work in WW1 definitely sped up the process of them being granted the vote.

Changing Attitudes

• From the turn of the nineteenth century, attitudes to women started to change and they were receiving more rights, especially in terms of marriage and work.

• Political parties such as the Liberals and Labour favoured extending the franchise to sections of the population that were excluded at the time. Women were one such section.

• There is an argument (albeit weak) that women would have been given the vote eventually in the natural course of progression towards a full democracy regardless of the Suffrage campaigns.

Changing Attitudes Analysis/Evaluation

• This argument is too weak. Despite attitudes to women changing and their work in WW1 strengthening this, men took their jobs back when they came home from war and women were still expected to ‘suffer in silence’ and many still felt women were inferior. Yes, some political parties favoured enfranchising women, but to say women would get the vote eventually ignores the impact of the Suffrage campaigns and is not a solid enough argument.