Suffrage Flashcards
How had demands for female suffrage increased by 1906
- By 1906, a woman could be a mayor, town councillor, nurse, doctor, teacher or a factory hand. - Although women proved they could work equally as well as men, they were paid less. -> needed representation-New occupations allowed women to become rate and tax payers and therefore demand the right to representation alike other taxpayers rose. - second and third reform acts of 1867, 1884. -Many people agreed that giving to vote to uneducated male agricultural worked and unskilled labours had not damaged the country -surely giving the vote to educated women would not harm the country.
This led to a stronger women’s suffrage movement to develop over the discussion over the second reform act in 1866-67.
Why was it felt that the WSPU was needed?
Failure of NUWSS to gain female suffrage-The NUWSS wanted the vote for middle class property-owning women -> Many women felt this was not enough-Believed they would achieve their end using peaceful tactics - non-violent demonstrations, petitions and the lobbying of MPs. -By 1905 the media had lost interest in the struggle for women's rights. -Newspapers rarely reported meetings and usually refused to publish articles and letters written by supporters of women's suffrage. Emmeline Pankhurst felt that a militant campaign would once again gain the attention of those in Parliament and media
How willing were the Liberal government government to pass female suffrage?
- Libs divided on the issue of women’s suffrage ; some were against it entirely and others were unclear about how to achieve it. -In 1906, many Liberal candidates expressed their support of the idea of women’s suffrage raising hopes but in reality the 1906 government had no intention of risking the issue. -1906 government ignored the issue of women’s suffrage beyond allowing women to sit on local councils -1907 Qualification of Women Act- Not enough support in Parliament to pass bills- WSPU believed violent tactics would disrupt Parliament enough so that Women’s suffrage would be passed
How did contributions to the war effort help women gain the vote?
- WW1 was fought on a huge industrial scale.
- Munitions were needed in vast quantities to feed the guns and a variety of products were required to supply both military and civilian needs.
- With men recruited for the armed forces, the industrial workforce changed.
- Over 600,000 women took on previously male-dominated roles in industry during the war, working alongside men in reserved occupations.
- Women made an increasingly varied contribution, working in labs, mills and factories, sometimes in hazardous circumstances.
- > Challenged the conventional image of women -> too weak, too emotional
- > Many women threw away their traditional roles to enter the workforce for the war effort
How did suffrage movements help women to gain the vote?
- > By 1914, Increasingly more women had joined suffrage movements
- > negotiations between suffragettes and Libs led to 1907 Qualification of Women Act
- Liberal gov allowed women to sit on local councils
- > Although at the time they had no intention of risking votes on female suffrage, it showed that some progress was already being made before the war
- > This progress came too slow for many women
- militant tactics the WSPU used such as smashing windows, setting light to post boxes and pouring acid on golf courses, gained the cause attention from the media and the government.
- Historian Midge MacKenzie argues that the Suffragettes “revitalised the question of votes for women”
- Many women were willing to be martyrs for suffrage
- During the war, leader of WSPU put aside militant tactics and convinced thousands of women to join the war effort
- The Pankhursts rightly saw that the war would provide new employment opportunities for women.
Why did suffragette militancy cause the government to be reluctant to pass a bill for female suffrage?
This controversy was heightened by suffragette militancy
-Although drew attention from the public,in the long term it allowed the 1906 government to ignore the issue of women’s suffrage -> beyond allowing women to sit on local councils (1907 Qualification of Women Act). - violent tactics used by suffragette militancy groups galvanised the opposition -able to accuse women of being emotionally unbalanced and unfit to take a more active role in society. Link: It supported the idea that women were irresponsible
How did suffragette militancy support opposition towards female suffrage?
It supported the idea that women were irresponsible Women biologically different -> too emotional + sentimental - as the suffragettes smashed windows and sent peppered letters. ->legitimate reason for the liberal government not to introduce a reform - no government at the time would have given into the behaviour and violence of the suffragette militants. - allow men to represent women -> women having vote may split families + divide society as a whole
Was Female suffrage a priority for the Liberal government 1906-1914?
No, Constitutional Crisis, HR 1910 -> top of agenda
