Women in the interwar period Flashcards
who were the NUSEC?
-NUSEC= the national union of societies for equal citizenship
-they were previously known as NUWSS ( the national union of women’s suffrage societies
why did the NUWSS change its name to NUSEC and when?
-they changed the name in 1918 which suggests the union clearly recognised the need to extend its campaigning activities beyond the vote to encompass a wide range of political, social and economic rights for women citizens
who was the leader of NUSEC?
Eleanor Rathbone,
she was elected leader in 1919
what did Eleanor Rathbone being elected as leader create?
-the organisation to search for a new identity in the wake of the women’s franchise
-there became a division in the organisation over priorities
what was the division in the NUSEC on priorities between?
-there became a division in the organisation over priorities on whether or not the union should give priorities to the campaign for ‘dead level’ equality between men and women or to issues which specifically addressed women’s traditional role in society as a wife and mother
what were equal rights / egalitarian feminists?
those within the NUSEC who wanted to place equal rights at the top of the agenda
name 2 equal rights / egalitarian feminists
prominent suffrage campaigners:
-Millicent Fawcett
-Monica Whately
what things did Eleanor Rathbone and her supporters argue it was time to concentrate on?
reforms that would enhance the lives of women who were wives and mothers working within the home. their main priorities now the vote had been won were:
- the payment of family allowances to married mothers
- the provision of birth control information
- improved housing conditions
what was new feminism?
the belief that the specific needs of women as wives and mothers should become the central focus of the feminist movement
what were the 2 types of feminism in the 20s?
new feminism and egalitarian/equal rights feminism
when did the NUSEC split and why?
they split in 1927 when the union voted to add a number of new feminist demands to its national agenda
