Theme 3 b 1 - The right to vote and political advancement, 1918-79 Flashcards
When did women get the right to vote at the age of 30?
1918
When did women get the right to vote at the age of 21?
1928 - on equal par with men
What did women still fail to have in the government and what did political parties tend to use them for?
Failed to gain a significant politcal voice- there were comparitively few women MPs.
Used them in subordinate capacities such as delivering leaflets & organising functions.
Political and economic changes, 1918-29
In the decade after WW1- how were the lives of women shaped by political and economic change?
Many became accustomed to new political rights & employment opportunites.
They were able to enjoy leisure time & consumerism.
Political and economic changes, 1918-29
What was wrong with the workplace for women?
Work opportunities- still highly gendered.
Experience in the workplace- one of low wages, low-skilled jobs & long hours.
Franchise
In March 1918- who did the Representation of the People Act enfrachise?
Women over 30- if they were a member or married to a member of the local government register, a graduate voting in a university election or a property owner.
This meant only educated and ‘respectable’ women were enfranchised.
Franchise
How much of the electorate did women comprise of?
43% (8.4 million voters) in the December election that year.
Franchise
In the same act- when were men enfranchised?
What would have happened if women were granted the same rights?
21.
Women- would have made up the majority of the electorate due to the high losses of men during the war.
Franchise
When did Britains working class women recieve the vote?
What act was this under?
1928- when all women rate payers were enfranchised on the same terms as men under the Representation of the People Act (1928)
Employment opportunities
WW1- opened up women to job opportunities. What did thousands of women work as?
Auxiliaries, drivers, telephonists, signallers and nurses on the western front.
Employment opportunities
In 1914- how many women were employed in the metals & chemicals industries?
How did this change by 1918?
200,000
Over 1 million women in these two fields
Where was Britains main Cordite factory?
Gretna
How many women worked at Gretna to create explosives?
11,000 women
What did the gov ‘dilution’ agreement with trade unions mean in 1914?
Meant that skilled workers who went to fight in France could be replaced by semi-skilled labour. This included women workers on two main conditions.
What rules were made with the ‘dilution’ agreement of 1914?
- Employments lasted only as long as the war did.
- The new workers would not be able to profit from the war and would not be paid higher wages than the men whose jobs they were filling.
Why did the number of employed women reduce after the war?
The ‘dilution’ agreement. They were only employed as long at the war lasted.
How many women were put out of work after WW2?
5.7 million.
Due to the dilution agreement
What three industries provided the most employment for working-class women?
Maid
Cook
Cleaner
Very unpopular and undesirable jobs that they wished they could leave.
In 1918 how many women were ‘in-service’ (working)?
1.25 million
Why was there such limited opportunities for women to work?
Prejudice, lack of education and the prevailing ideas about what was ‘women’s work’
What was the biggest growth area for female employment in the 1920s?
Clerical work (clerks or typists)
How many women were employed as typists or clerks by 1921?
1 million
Another 300,000 within the next ten years.
What new industry opened up for women after the war?
Sweat labour in light manufacturing.
This was however low paid and unemployment benefits were dismal.
What proportion of working-class women did work at home?
2/3
What work is described by the term ‘piece work’?
Baking, sewing, brewing as well as household jobs and caring for children.
What class of women were part of the Suffrage campaign?
Educated middle-class women. - Got ROPA 1918. - Wanting franchise to be extended to women with property.
What was the result of the 1919 Sex Disqualification Act?
Improved opportunities for women advancement as they were now allowed to go to university.
Also helped the application of women for work and showed that male attitudes were starting to change.
Year - Sex disqualification act
1919
How many medical professionals in 1931 were women?
3,000 female medical practitioners and 180,000 nurses.
What proportion or architects in the 1930s were women?
21/6,000
Until which year did women teachers have to leave their jobs if they married?
1944
In 1931 what proportion of the female workforce was single?
84%
Who were the first women to be called to the English Bar?
Ivy Williams 1922
What did the ‘journal’ think about Ivy Williams attempts in law?
Called them futile. But when she became part of the Bar in 1922 they said it was ‘one of the most memorable days in the long annals of the legal profession’.
During the interwar period, what was the average proportion of women MPs?
5%
During 1931 how many women were MPs?
This was a peak
What petty restrictions did women MPs face?
Not able to use the Commons dining room.
What did Edith Summerskill say the Parliament was like in the 1930s?
‘A boys school which has decided to take a few girls.
How many women joined the labour party between 1918-1924?
150,000
Why were women attracted to join the Labour Party over other parties?
The proponent of women’s enfranchisement and promoter of social reform attracted more women.
150,000 women joined between 1918-1924
How many women served as Labour MPs during the interwar period?
9
Many Labour Activists still believed they should stay at home.
Why didn’t other Political Parties feel the need for female MPs?
Casting women in a subservient role such as delivering leaflets and organising fundraising events.
By 1930 what proportion of the elected local councillors were women?
less than 15%
Give an example of the women Conservative councillor in London between 1924-1931?
Thelma Cazalet-Keir.
Became MP in October 1931
By 1944 how many women worked in farms for the Women’s Land Army?
80,000
What did the Women’s Voluntary Service support?
The civil defence forced and offered shelter and comfort to bombing victims.
What jobs did women have in the Air Force, Army and Navy?
Non-combat roles like drivers, cooks, intelligence analysts, clerks, radar plotters and mechanics
What practical benefits did the war bring for the lives of women?
- Better wages.
- New skills acquired as well as confidence in their abilities.
- Higher levels of importance and seniority.
- Overseas posting and relocations gave new opportunities.
- Work with men in defence gave them a sense of participation and contribution
What proportion of working women in 1951 were in industries like nursing, teaching, factory work, waitressing and clerical work?
86%
From what year did companies remove the requirement for women to leave jobs when they were married?
1946 onwards
In what year were married women allowed to stay in work in the teaching profession?
1944
In what year were married women allowed to stay in work in the civil service?
1946
In what year were married women allowed to stay in work in the Bank of England?
1949
What did a 1948 study of 100 women find?
- Widespread desire to end work after marriage.
- Need for extra income as the main motivation for working.
- Most women interviewed didn’t define themselves by their work or see it as an important part of their identity.
By 1972 what proportion of women retained their jobs after being married?
50%
In the late 1950s how much less money were women paid compared to their male counterparts?
40% less
In 1958 what new law was introduced?
The civil service introduced equal pay for all employees, along with the education system and the NHS
What act was the first government legislation of pay?
Equal Pay Act - 1970
Year - Equal Pay Act
1970
Why was the Equal Pay Act essential?
A pre-requisite for joining the European Economic Community.
What was established as part of the Sex Discrimination Act?
Equal Opportunities Commission - 1975
Year - Equal Opportunities Commission
1975
What did the Equal Opportunities Commission do?
Ensure that fair employment practices were observed and that women had legal protection against discrimination in education and employment.
Also established tribunals for sexual harassment and recognised sexual discrimination in everyday life.
Year - The Dagenham Sewing Machinists Strike
1968
How much less did the Ford Motor Company pay women at the Dagenham in 1968?
15% less
Explain the story of the Dagenham Sewing Machinists Strike
Being paid 15% less than male counterparts.
Took 3 weeks off and eventually the Secretary and State fir Employment and Productivity Barbara Castle intervened.
Managed to increase wages by 7%.
Rules against and only established after a further strike in 1984.
What was the significance of the 1968 Dagenham Sewing machinists strike?
Raised the issue of unequal pay and was one of the main causes of the Equal Pay Act 1970.
Why did second-wave feminism develop?
Many still believed that the women’s primary job was as wives and mothers and paid employment was not only secondary to this by also only worked for ‘pin money’.
How many women MPs were there between 1951-1979?
Stayed constant at between 20-30.
Which women stood up to the highest amount of prejudice in politics?
Margret Thatcher.
Failing to be elected twice as Labour constituency of Dartford.
