female suffrage Flashcards
what did the current SA Premier Charles Kingston think of the inclusion of female enfranchisement?
At the time, South Australian Premier Charles Kingston described it as “the greatest constitutional reform ever effected in the colony” and in doing so, SA set Australia’s Federation on a path towards women’s suffrage as it became unlikely that the colony would join any federated nation that would not uphold its achievement of universal suffrage. South Australia led the way in progressive politics in the 19th century
what was the fears surrounding female suffrage in AUS?
some also feared that adopting this proposal would push the mater too hard and risk losing male votes for the draft Constitution (and consequently the whole federation project) in other colonies
how did Premier Charles Kingston advocate for female suffrage around the time of Federation?
Kingston threatened that the SA people would not vote to join a federation that took away the right of its women to vote hence in what historian John Hirst described as a ‘cunning ploy’, it was determined that no person, including women, who has a right to vote in state elections would be deprived of that right in federal elections and this proposal was accepted + appeared in the Constitutional Bill
when did the enfranchisement of women occur in AUS?
Enfranchised women in SA + WA (who had been enfranchised in 1899 with the exclusion of Aboriginal women) voted in the 1st federal election in 1901 + the extension of franchise to all white women around AUS occurred when the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 was passed
how did women in the 19th century experience legal discrimination?
during the gold rush many women were abandoned by their husband (law regarded women as personal property + divorce was difficult), women didn’t have custody of their own children, property remained only in the names of males, women couldn’t get their own,bank loan without male approval, but control was illegal, married women couldn’t refuse sexual relations, age of consent was in many colonies 12/13 years old for girls, gender pay gap, limited education for women, women didn’t have the vote
what issues arose with women not possessing the vote?
Women in AUS couldn’t directly address the inequalities they experienced without the power of the vote so they needed the vote to reform society into a fairer, more inclusive + friendlier nation therefore to create change (permanently) they needed to influence male politicians to be sympathetic towards their cause
John Stuart Mill quote on division of gender?
John Stuart Mill argued that the “principle which regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes – the legal subordination of one sex to the other – is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and that it ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality, admitting no power or privilege on the one side, nor disability on the other”
AUS as a social laboratory influence on women’s rights?
hard work of Australian suffragists combined with a proudly democratic and egalitarian tradition in colonies like SA + VIC. 1 of the areas that Australian could distinguish themselves from Great Britain was by advancing the rights of women. The ideals of self-improvement, spiritualism + free thinking contributed to a deeply aspirational + optimistic movement
Historian Stuart Macintyre quote on importance of the advancement of women’s rights?
Historian Stuart Macintrye stated that even the naming of the new country reflects these ideals as the “Commonwealth of Australian ‘common weal’ [meant] aiming for the common good or common wellbeing of the people and the [role] of the government was to pursue the general welfare of all citizens.”
Historian Patricia Grimshaw on the influence of Australia’s nature as a social laboratory
it became an accepted notion that the “hallmark by which to judge the place of a given society on their imaginary scale of civilisation was a male treatment of women within it”
what unions supported the women’s suffrage movement?
the women’s suffrage campaign gathered momentum in the 1880s and women formed organisations such as the Temperance Unions or Suffrage Leagues which produced feminist journals
what was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WTCU)
The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) originated in the US in the 1880s, Jessie Ackerman later formed the intercolonial WCTU across AUS in 1891 which aimed to reform society by agitating for legislation to minimise male excesses like temperance (abstinence from alcohol) and laws against gambling, prostitution, domestic violence and a law to raise the age of consent.
what was the importance of the WCTU’s Christian values?
The Union’s Christian values which involved the pursuit of healthier, happier homes, and encouragement of sobriety, attracted the hostility of the alcohol trade but earned the sympathy of many male politicians. These aims led to the demand for female suffrage gaining more support as some male politics shared these beliefs and consequently viewed the franchise for women as a way of furthering these policies
what was the Ladies’ Social Purity Society formed in 1883?
the society was based in SA and successfully campaigned in 1885 to increase the age of consent from 12 to 16 years old + also agitated to end young child labour of girls
who were some prominent campaigners of female suffrage?
Mary Lee and Mary Colton, who led those campaigns, were key to the campaign for female suffrage in that colony, since migrating from Ireland to support her sick son Mary Lee fought tenaciously to end child labour + young women’s employment and she later became the secretary of the Working Women’s Trade Union
what was this feminist movement like in conservative Victoria?
VIC founded the 1st female suffrage society in 1884 (the Victorian Women’s Suffrage Society) with leading feminist Henrietta Dugdale. VIC didn’t grant female suffrage in state elections until 1908 and eventually activists in SA + VIC achieved the same voting rights for women as were held by men, and ultimately equal justice regarding marriage, property, children and divorce
why were petitions used in this feminist movement?
it proved to the many men who didn’t believe that women actually wanted this responsibility of voting. These petitions were an effective way to show how popular the idea of female suffrage was in the absence of the vote itself
how was signatures collected for the Victorian ‘Monster Petition’
the Victorian WCTU and the Victorian Suffrage Society, 30,000 signatures were collected and this achievement can be accredited to feminists like Henrietta Dugdale, Annette Bear-Crawford + Vida Goldstein who became leading campaigners for female suffrage, along with other women, who travelled door to door by foot and by train throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria
what was feminist journal ‘DAWN’
In NSW in 1888, Louisa Lawson launched the feminist journal ‘Dawn’ which combined political ideas with practical tips for women and was widely read. historian Olive Lawson, argued that Dawn “played a significant role in promoting those legislative changes which most affected the lives of Australian women at the turn of the century” and it contributed to the awareness/demand for laws about female suffrage, work conditions, divorce + property ownership
how big was the ‘Monster Petition’
the ‘Monster Petition’ that stretched over 260 metres and it remains the largest petition ever presented to the Victorian Parliament but the demand for female suffrage was still rejected by the conservative Legislative Council
what were the arguments against female suffrage?
Queen Victoria was not a supporter of female suffrage, Some believed that women would follow their husband’s instructions therefore doubling the voting power for each married man, were not seen as emotionally/intellectually capable of managing voting, their inexperience with voting was thought allow them to be easily manipulated, women would be distracted from their domestic duties and conservative political feared that this would strengthen labour parties
primary evidence that men believed women would be swayed by their husbands
in 1905 journalist E.C Buley wrote that “for the present the Australian woman is content to be guided in the main by the political opinions of her husband or brother.”
Evidence of ongoing resistance to extending the franchise can be seen in the Victorian Parliament in 1908 with David Gaunson (member of the Legislative Assembly)
he addressed the issue by telling women to ‘get out, cook a chop and learn to dress your baby.”
how many measures/ demands were made for female suffrage before it was implemented in VIC?
Victoria had seen Australia’s 1st woman’s suffrage league in 1883 but it was not until 24 years later after the introduction of 19 bills into Parliament that the legislation was finally passed to enfranchise Victorian women in 1908. Even in 1908 the law was likely passed due to the rise to prominence of a conservative women’s group called the Australian Women’s National League which convinced conservative politicians that women would not likely to support the Labor Party in large numbers
