Women's Rights Flashcards
Arguments for women having the vote …
They pay taxes.
They have been taking part in local elections since 1888.
New Zealand has already had the vote for women.
Single and widowed women have same financial responsibility as men.
Women have special skills and expertise that could benefit parliament decisions.
Arguments against women having the vote…
Women too fragile.
Women don’t fight in the army.
They have different responsibilities to men.
Giving middle class women the vote would encourage them to neglect duty.
Women are too emotional to be trusted.
Describe the NUWSS..
Set up in 1897 by Millicent Fawcett.
500 branches across the UK.
Fawcett believed women should eventually get the vote.
The movement was considered slow but unstoppable.
Pamphlets were issued, marches were held, and women set petitions to get women the vote - they questioned MPs at meetings.
They used peaceful methods.
By 1900 they had the support of politicians from different parties.
What events were held by the suffragists?
- 1907 Hyde Park ‘mud march’ - 4000 women walked from Hyde Park to Exeter Hall in the Strand.
On 26th July 1913 a Pilgrimage was held in London where women from 8 locations met.
By 1914 the suffragists had 50000 members and a newspaper called the ‘ Common Cause.’
Describe the suffragettes…
Set up in 1903 as suffragists working too slowly.
The WSPU was formed - Women’s Social and Political Union.
The aim was for women to see if liberals would get them the vote - Christabel Pankhurst questioned them in October 1905 at a Liberal meeting.
Describe key features of hunger striking (1909)
On 5th July, Marion Dunlop was sent to Holloway Prison for printing the bill of rights and placing it in the houses of Common.
She was placed in a second division cell and hunger striked.
Women saw this as a weapon and until September, when force feeding was introduced, women could hunger strike and get away with this.
Describe the key features of window smashing (1912).
In March 1912, the suffragettes began a campaign to smash windows in expensive stores in London.
Thousands of windows were broken and 219 arrested.
What was Emily Davison’s sacrifice (1912)?
She was a committee suffragette and was arrested 9 times.
On 5th June 1912, she posted a suffragette banner in front of the King’s Horse Anmer at the Epsom Derby and was killed.
What was the situation in 1903?
Queen Elizabeth - an opposer of women’s rights - died.
Women were unable to vote or stand for Parliament.
Liberal and Labour MPs supported the vote for women.
