Suffragettes Flashcards
Describe the rights already won for women at the start of the 20th century
- not that secure, very small steps
- like some women can vote at some local elections
- & age of consent raised to 16
What were the 3 most convincing arguments in favour of equal voting
- 16th century women freeholders could vote - this would just be restoring an old right
- women property owners should be equal to male property owners
- women already participating in party politics
Which are the least convincing arguments in favour of equal voting
- votes for women would clean up public life, if men & women adhered to the same moral principles
Which arguments against female suffrage could be considered most convincing
- giving women the vote would damage Britain because it would destabilise the existing structure
- women were indirectly represented by men
Why would no major party adopt women’s suffrage as an official policy
- unelectable - those who vote for it cannot vote
Status & role of women by 1903
Social Improvements
- 1839 - women win cutsody of infants after divorce
- 1900 - 60,000 trained nurses in British hospitals
- 1900 - London & Manchester universities accept women
Status & role of women by 1903
Economic Improvements
- women allowed to keep their income & property after they married
- 1900 - 2,000 poor law guardians
Status & role of women by 1903
Political Improvements
- 1897 - NUWSS formed, with individuals emerging campaining for women’s rights
- women began to engage in politcial parties
- women could vote on school board & in some elections
Status & role of women by 1903
Social Continuities
- ideology of domesticity power in the m/c
- role of the mother seen to be an affirmation of a women’s identity
- wife battering remained legal in the nineteenth century
Status & role of women by 1903
Economic Continuities
- majority of w/c women worked as servants for very low pay
- on average female workers earned 65% of a male wage
- jobs in the law & banking were still closed to women by 1900
Explain how the early women’s suffrage movement was divided in each of the following areas
-aims
- Young suffragists wanted to affiliate with the women’s section of the Liberal party,
- whilst others like Fawcett wanted to keep the suffrage organisation independent of party politics to keep wide appeal
- Some thought minor reform was better than no reform at all,
- while others thought limiting the vote to single women would only push back the vote further for married women
Explain how the early women’s suffrage movement was divided in each of the following areas
-political strategy
- Pankhurt’s activities of heckling & disruption produced futher splits with women critical of her behaviour
- some regional differences too
Why was the late ninteenth century a dissapointing time for women’s rights activists
- The 1884 reform act had given the vote to any working class men,
- & though 40% men remained unenfranchised, it was feared that women had missed the chance to secure the vote
- upheaval in the parties, & liberals declining
Which union was formed in 1897
- National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS)
Why did the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) not have much sucess
- They spearheaded the campaign for womens suffrage, but their tactics & limited ideas produced little success, avoiding outdoor meeting, public appeals & by-election interfering, which was key to the CDAs success
Give 2 factors which helped the cause of female suffrage in the early 1900s
- increased militancy within both the Labour Movement
- & the Irish home rule campaign was putting pressure on parliament to introduce fundamental reforms (many women grew impatient)
When was the WSPU founded
1903
Where was WSPU founded
- Manchester, a hotspot of radical reformist thinking
Who were the founding members of the WSPU
- Emmeline & Christabel Pankhurst
How was the leadership of the WSPU different to that of the NUWSS
The NUWSS was an alliance of groups, whilst the WSPU remained very focused around the leadership of Pankhurst
How was the organisation of the WSPU different to that of most political groups
- Autocratic - much less democratic, transparent, secretive
How did WSPU popularise the cause of female suffrage?
- regional branches, which appropriately held drawing room meetings & open-air meetings
The WSPU sought female suffrage for which groups
- They did not seek votes for alll women, but votes on an equal status to men
- Since only 80% of males could vote, this meant that their aim was only m/c women
Why did the Pankhursts put pressure on the ILP - pragmatic
- ILP not working with enough focus on female suffrage, wanting to focus on votes for everyone & felt the male dominated ILP was not sufficiently prioritising the campaign
Why did the Pankhursts put pressure on the ILP - ideologically
- Suffragette focus on suffrage was based upon social status rather than simply universal female suffrage
- Keir Hardie, the ILP leader did support the WSPU’s policies, but many ILP members wanted to see more equal suffrage
Why was campaigning of the WSPU done mainly by women
- Christabel saw the campaign for the role as part of a wide issue of freeing women from a ensalved social role, where they have sufficient rights
- Therefore, campaigning for the WSPU was predominantly by women
How did the social vase of WSPU change bewteen 1903-14
- At first, it was largely composed of Northern w/c women split from ILP
- Once they split from the ILP in 1906, without its socialist connotations, wealthy women were encouraged to join
How did the WSPU’s changing social base benfit the WSPU
- wealthy women had more money to donate, & more freetime to devote to demonstrations
Why were many working-class men concerned about giving votes to women
- supporting ILP, why change systemwhen benefitting, could be jeopardizing their own enfranchisement
Describe the WSPU’s organisation & support
- Unelected central Committee - Sylvia P = secretary/Annie Kenney + organiser/Emmeline = treasure
- Sub committee - friends and family of Pankhursts
- Local branches had quite a lot of autonomy
- Initially w/c northern women and connections to ILP but this changed in 1906
Evidence supporting the effectiveness of the WSPU’s organisation
Statistics proving effectiveness
- Boom in membership:
- 1906 - 3 branches, 1911 - 122 branches
- Vote for Women circulation of 40,000 by 1910
Evidence supporting the effectiveness of the WSPU’s organisation
Individual contributions
Annie Kenney provided w/c element to leadership
Emmeline and Frederick Pethwick Lawrence added financial and organisational skill/designed WSPU clothing
Evidence supporting the effectiveness of the WSPU’s organisation
Locational base change
- Move from Manchester - London secured support nationally and encouraged wealthy women to join - good for funding - By 1907 raised £20,000.
Evidence challenging the effectiveness of the WSPU’s organisation
Tensions
- Tensions rose between London WSPU and regional organisations - tensions with the Liverpool branch because they refused to hold drawing room meetings to attract m/c supporters
- Class divide - too elitist later on. w/c women uncomfortable
- 1907 - Labour party conference rejected women’s suffrage
