Attitudes towards women and their right to vote had changed by 1918. How important was the 1st world war in bringing about this change?

History Coursework; Attitudes towards women and their right to vote had changed by 1918. How important was the 1st world war in bringing about this change?

Many women had been campaigning for the right to vote up to 1914. When the 1st world war started, the campaigns were called off because women thought that war effort was more important. However when the war came to an end, women over 30 and all men over the age of 21 were given the right to vote. This essay will explain why attitudes towards women changed and how important the 1st world war was in bringing about this change.

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The non-progressing political battle between the goverment and the WSPU had been broken off by the outbreak of the 1st world war. Mrs Pankhurst (leader of the suffragists) and Christabel Pankhurst (one of the head figures of the suffragettes) were both in favour of the 1st world war. Even though they were strongly against and had been badly let down by the liberal goverment, by helping the war effort, they were helping the country and not just the goverment. They not only called off their campaign but strongly advised all women to help the war effort by taking up war work. Women could obviously not be soldiers (especially in the early 20th century) but could help the war effort by working in occupations they usually couldn't. World war one triggered off the changes that were to take place in women's employment. The circumstances in England caused by the war gave women the oppurtunity to work in jobs such as bus drivers, train drivers, arms factories and even electricians and plumbers.

At the beginning of the war thousands of women came forward to offer their services. Many were disappointed as no work was available for them to do.Only gradually were women taken on in new occupations.(look above)

However, 1 year into the war, thirty thousand frustrated women whom no position could be found, assembled in the centre of London. The rally was organised by the WSPU but this time however, they were not demanding for the right to vote but for the 'right to serve'. In 1916 their chance for the right to serve came as the goverment introduced military conscription. This measure turned thousands of average male workers into soldiers. The absenceof all these workers left large gaps in Britain's war time economy. For the 1st time on a great scale, the goverment started exploited the willingness of women to serve their country. Soon enough thousands of women were employed to fill the jobs left empty by the soldiers on their way to the battlefields. This caused a dramatic increase in the numbers of women employed in nearly every occupation.

Women being employed