women's rights and the campaign for the vote Flashcards
what had happened during the Industrial Revolution?
women had started to work in factories and earn more money than they would have earnt working from home
what was the Married Women’s Property Act, 1870?
allowed women to control their own income and property after marriage
previously, their income and property had been under the control of their husbands- meant that previously women were dependant on men
when did the organisation of women deserving the vote happen?
in 1897
who was Millicent Fawcett the wife of?
the Liberal MP Henry Fawcett
what did Millicent Fawcett do?
brought all the groups campaigning for women’s suffrage together to form the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS)
what did the NUWSS become known as?
the Suffragists
what methods did the Suffragists use?
peaceful methods- meetings, speeches, posters and letters
what happened in 1903?
Emmeline Pankhurst- a member of the Manchester branch of the NUWSS decided it was time to take more direct action
what did Emmeline Pankhurst and her two daughters do?
they formed the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU)
what were Emmeline Pankhurst’s daughters called?
Sylvia and Christabel
what did Emmeline Pankhurst’s daughters believe in?
“deeds not words”
who was Emmeline Pankhurst’s husband?
Richard Pankhurst- he was a lawyer who had written the Married Women’s Property Act
what was the WFL?
the Women’s Freedom League- women that broke away from the WSPU as they did not believe in the violent methods
what did the women do when the government did not pass an act in 1912 to extend the vote to women?
the NUWSS started a pilgrimage from Carlisle to London
who did the Suffragettes have the support of?
the Liberal Prime Minister- Henry Campbell Bannerman
what were the Suffragettes tactics?
heckling members of Parliament during speeches
they stood outside the House of Commons and held demonstrations
when did they start their stone throwing campaign?
1912
hundreds of windows were smashed
over 200 suffragettes were arrested
what other militant tactics did the suffragettes use?
arson attacks
blowing up buildings
when did Parliament make another attempt to give women the vote?
in 1913
when and where was the Derby horse race?
Epsom in 1913
what did Emily Wilding Davidson do?
she deliberately walked onto the racecourse as the horses approached
she died of her wounds in hospital
she became the first martyr of the movement
she was trying to stick a suffragette rosette on the horse but she was trampled as the horse was going too fast
what tactics did the Suffragettes use while in prison?
went on hunger strike
why did the government pass the Prisoners Temporary Discharge for Ill health Act in 1913?
due to the dangers of force feeding
what did this Act allow?
allow them to release the women when they became too weak from starvation
once they had been rehabilitated and were healthy enough to return to prison, they would be re-arrested- “Cat and Mouse Act”
why were the Suffragettes beginning to gain criticism for their actions?
many people thought they were preventing women from getting the vote, rather than helping
what did the suffragettes actions make them look like?
irrational and unbalanced
what did the Liberal Prime Minister (Herbert Asquith) think of women’s votes?
a women’s role was at home, supporting her husband and caring for her children
they did not think politics was a world women belonged in
he believed the decision should only be made if it improved government and the political procress
how did the suffragettes earn their nickname “angel of the factory”?
they stopped their militant and violent campaigns
which women refused to support the war effort?
the Women’s Freedom League- they were Pacifists so did not want to support the men fighting
what roles did women take on during the war?
worked in factories, on farms and even on the front lines as nurses- showed women could do the same jobs as men
also proved women could make clear-headed decisions, not only in factories but in running family businesses and driving ambulances in dangerous circumstances at the front line
what was the argument against women not being intelligent?
they could successfully look after the family, run the home and do the jobs their husbands had done
what Act was passed in 1918?
the Representation of the People Act in 1918
what did this Act of 1918 allow?
allowed all men over the age of 21 to vote and some women over age of 21 (if they owned property) to vote
if women did not have property, they had to be over 30 to vote
when were women given the vote on equal terms with men?
1928
when did the Women’s Movement happen?
in the 1960’s
what did the women in the Women’s Movement want?
equal pay with men
increased numbers of women in higher education
24 hour child care
free contraception
abortion on demand
when was the Divorce Reform Act passed?
in 1969
what did the Divorce Reform Act allow?
allowed women to divorce their husbands easily and they were entitles to claim any property owned in the divorce settlement
when was the Equal Pay Act?
1970
when was the Sex Discrimination Act?
1975
what did these two acts allow?
gave women more rights and protection in the workplace
what did Wilson change in terms of homosexuality?
changed the law so that homosexuality was no longer illegal- he tried to end discrimination against ethnic minorities and he abolished capital punishment
