Changing Attitudes Towards Women

Question 1

Knowledge points

Answer 1

The government passed many acts to improve the rights of women:

1857 Matrimonial Causes Act- gave mothers increased access to their children after divorce and allowed women to keep their post- divorce earnings
The married womens property act 1882- husbands lost claim to wives property as their own
- these acts highlighted that women were not irresponsible and could be independent

Education also became more available to women with primary school becoming compulsory in 1870 and universities opening their doors to women including Gurton college which opened in 1869 ending the old attitude that women were not educated enough to vote

Question 2

Positive analysis

Answer 2

This helped women gain the vote in 1918 as people noticed that women weee mature and responsible as they were educated allowing them to demonstrate their capabilities through work or charity work and volunteering

They were even allowed to participate in local elections in 1869 and stand as candidates in 1894 so the next logical step would be giving them the vote

Question 3

Negative analysis

Answer 3

However the changing attitudes towards women was not impactful enough as women was not impactful enough as the suffrage campaign was required to impact the government and encourage change

Question 4

Evaluation

Answer 4

The suffragette campaign gained women the vote to a larger extent as they gained lore publicity through their militant tactics allowing change to take place faster

If changing role of women was truly having an impact and changing enough then women wouldn’t feel the need to start the suffrage campaign

Midge Mackenzie:
“Prior to 1914 it was the militant vanguard, the WSPU, that revitalised the question of votes for women with its tactics of political confrontations and immense publicity that ensued”