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Women British Depth Study

Women in the 1890s Most women did not go to school or University They spent their lives raising children and running the house Women were 2nd class citizens

Legal Rights

For a long time married women werent protected by law women had no legal rights to their children In 1857The Matrimonial Clauses Act made it easier for divorce in a normal court you had to prove

adultery, cruelty or desertion

o Previously only parliament could grant divorce In 1870The Married Womens Property Act gave the women a right to keep their earning when they got

married

o Previously all earnings went to husbando In 1882 it was extended to allow women to keep their own property

In 1884 Married women were recognised as their own individual and not a possession of their husbands In 1886The Married Women Act said that women who had been deserted had to be paid maintenance by

the husband

In 1886 The Guardianship of Children Act allowed women to be legal guardians of their own children andallowed them to manage any property the children had

Social Rights

Women earned less than men and worked very long hours in sweat trades They were barred from several professions like Law and Medicine Middle Class women had some access to higher education and professional jobs but this was limited

o Queens College London opened to train women as teachers in 1848o Florence Nightingale made Nursing respectable for women and she opened a training college for

them

In 1891 Free and Compulsory education for all boys and GIRLS In 1894 The Parish Council Act allowed women to serve on urban and parish councils In 1896 The Factory Act bans employment of women after 4 weeks after having a child

o In 1901 workings hours were reduced for women by 1 hour (under the Factory Act)

Political Rights Women could not vote in National elections In 1894 The Parish Council Act allowed married women to vote for parish or district councils

Viewpoints on women voting

Most people thought it was acceptable:o Public sphere is for men and the home is for womenwomens role is to look after their husbands

and children if they got to vote they could neglect their families

o Most people thought women werent rational and couldnt make decisions also too emotionalo Most politicians thought that you needed to be a householder (owner etc.) to vote not many

women were only a few rich oneso If they gave rich women the vote they would probably vote Conservative so the Liberals didnt

want to give them the vote

o Women didnt fight in wars so they shouldnt get a vote

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o More pressing issues of the daywomen getting the vote wasnt as important

The Suffrage Movement

National Union of Womens Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) - Suffragists

Formed in 1897 by Millicent Fawcet

Most were middle class women They were non militant and most of their tactics were persuasions, meetings and letters to government

Arguments for the Vote

Rights were improving for women the vote was the natural step forwardo For example by 1900 they could vote in local elections and be councillorso They could vote for Poor Law guardians and become themo Women could also vote on School boards and be on school boards

Women were active in national politics like the Womens Labour League etc.o Working class women were active in Trade Union politics

Women were just as capable of making good decisions as men

Other countries like New Zealand had given women the vote in 1893 Women paid taxes and they should, therefore, be equally represented in parliament MPs and parliament made decisions that effected both men and women Women needed to be valued as equal citizens

Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU) - Suffragettes

Founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia Emmeline had previously founded the Womens Franchise League and had campaigned to get women the

vote in local elections

Suffragettes thought that the Suffragists were too slow and they wanted results faster They didnt mind getting arrested

o It brought them sympathy and showed they were seriouso In 1905 Christabel and Annie Kenney shouted at Sir Edward Grey at a meeting in Manchester and

they ended up in prison for a week

In 1906 the Suffragettes hoped the new Liberals would be sympathetic to their cause In 1907 The Qualification of Women Act let them become county or borough councillors or mayors In 1908 Asquith became the Liberal Prime minister and was against votes for women

Differences between the Suffragists and Suffragettes

Suffragists at first admired the courage of suffragettes Relationship strained as violence grew Suffragists did not believe that democracy could be won through undemocratic methods Suffragists also believed that violence would alienate friendly MPs Both knew that rivalry would not help but Fawcet refused to be linked to militancy

1911 Conciliation Bill Proposed that 1 million propertied (women who owned a property) would get the vote They passed this in parliament However Asquith dropped the Bill in favour of one that allowed all men the vote In 1912 The Plural Voting Bill was put forward, but the speaker refused to let them amend it to add

womens rights

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Protests got more extreme

Suffragists

led a deputation (went to see) to the PM Pledged support to the Labour party for the next election Organised a peaceful march from Carlisle to London Offered free membership to working women

Suffragettes

Escalated a campaign of violence usually against property:o They smashed windowso Arson on post-boxes, churches and railway stationso Bombed churchesIn 1913 they bombed DLGs house (he was a sympathizer)o Damaged cricket pitches and golf courseso Slashed paintings at National Gallery

More went to prison and went on hunger strikeo When Govt. ordered force feeding this gained lots of public sympathyo In 1913 Cat and Mouse Act allowed hunger strikers to leave prison to recover before returning

They chained themselves to railings outside Downing Street and Buckingham Palace 1913 Emily Davison threw herself under the Kings horse at the Darby Horse Race and died

Reactions to Suffragettes

Govt. did not want to be seen as giving in to violence and dealt harshly with protestso MPs could not give as the Miners and Irish were also rioting

Some moderate sympathizers were put off by violence From 1911 each time womens issues were raised in Parliament there was an even bigger majority against

them

However the Suffragettes gained lots of publicity and couldnt be ignored and their magazine Votes ForWomen had a subscription of 40,000 by 1914

Striking posters, pamphlets and publicity stunts gained attention e.g. Advertised a rally by sailing passedthe houses of parliament

They made it impossible to ignore womens suffrage Their bravery and commitment gained admiration The WSPU was shrinking and made up of even smaller radicalsmany were in prison and the Pankhursts

were exiled to Paris (less than 2,000 members in 1914)

Suffragists thought that the Suffragettes held the campaign back The Suffragists grew as the Suffragettes made people aware but they joined the suffragists as they didnt

like the violent methods (had 100,000 members in 1914)

Suffragist influence was growing with their political links

Women and the Home Front

Recruitment

They suspended their fight for the vote and persuaded men to join the army Women in the active service league took oath to encourage men to join up Mothers union published posters to get their sons to join up They introduced the White Feather of cowardice to give to men who didnt join up

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Jobs

2 million less workers than we needed and women campaigned to get these jobs Women did well at the jobs and in positions of responsibilityquashing mens viewpoints Worked in munitions factories etc. showing they were just as skilled as men with little training Worked as bus conductors, grave diggers and miners dangerous jobs

Effect the war had on suffrage movement

It resulted in a different attitude towards women The violence of the suffrage movement seemed less serious in the light of the war Women proved they could do technical and dirty jobs just as well as men They proved that they were just as important in public life as home life There was great gratitude towards women for their role in the war

Other Reasons for giving women the vote (after the war) A shake up of the voting system was already under way

o A rule that you had to live at the same address for one year before you could vote could not apply tosoldiers

Attitudes to women had changed people thought that it was unfair that women were denied full politicalrights

The suffragettes had called off the movement at the start of the war and no one wanted it to carry on after

Women got the vote 1918 The Representation of the People Act You had to be over 30yr old Had to be a householder or married to a householder Same act gave all men the right to vote at 21 Women were able to become MPs

o The first elected was Constance Markiewiez as a Sinn Fein candidatebut didnt take her seat inBritish Parliament

o The first MP was Nancy Astor and was elected in 1919 Finally in 1928 all women got vote over the age of 21 all equal