Women's Suffrage Flashcards
Arguments for women’s suffrage
- Other countries like New Zealand have allowed it
- Women also pay taxes
- Women could vote in local elections
Arguments against women’s suffrage
- Women’s views shared with their husband
- Women don’t fight for this country
- Women should only be involved in the private world of the home
By 1900, how many women were suffagists?
50,000
What did suffragists do?
- Collected petitions
- Wrote to Parliament
- Went on marches to protest
Why were the suffragettes formed?
By 1905, suffragists had gotten nowhere and some of them decided to change tactics
What did suffragettes do?
- Disrupted political meetings
- Chained themselves to railings in Downing Street
- Smashed Parliament’s windows with stones
How did the suffragettes strike?
When they were sent to prison, they refused food forcing the Goverment to free them
What did the MPs do in reaction to the suffragttes’ actions and what did it result in?
They opposed the suffragettes’ demands, which resulted in a defeat of their Bill by 47 votes, which the Government had previously promised to support
What did Emmeline Pankhurst say about the suffragettes’ violent campaigning?
It still made women’s suffrage a matter of news and that “now the newspapers are full of us”
What did Parliament do in 1918?
They changed the voting laws to allow women over the age of 30 to vote
What had happened by 1928?
All women over the age of 21 had the right to vote
Who was Emily Davison?
A very militant suffragette who believed in ‘deeds not words’
What was strange about Davison’s death?
- She would have sent a fairwell message to her mother but sewed suffragette flags in her coat
- She was ‘never brighter than on that day’, but claimed that something would be in the evening paper
- She had a return railway ticket
What quote was used by the government to promote female munition workers?
“On her their lives depend”
What was the difference in women working in metal industries between July 1914 and July 1918?
170,000 to 594,000
Why do some sources suggest little change about the view of female workers by the end of WW1?
Women were resented when working in farms, hospitals and factories but celebrated if they became nurses, provided refreshments and brought up future soldiers
Why was the age limit of female voters originally 30?
Many politicans agreed that these women were more likely to vote the same as their husbands and were more sensible
What did some politicians think was a sufficient service for women’s suffrage?
Women who had brought children up succesfully
What did Herman Asquith think about women’s suffrage after the war?
Some measure of women’s suffrage should be given because they have contributed to every service during WW1 except actually fighting
What happened in 1903?
Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters formed the Women’s Social and Political Union
What was the WSPU’s aim?
To put pressure on the government by using militant protests
What happened in 1905?
The Pankhursts started their campaign by shouting out slogans while a government minister was making a speech
