Q. Study sources H, I and J and use your own knowledge. ‘It was the work that women did during the war that earned them the vote.’
Explain whether you agree with this interpretation.
It is hard to argue that women received the vote in return for their contributions to the war effort when young female workers, who had contributed significantly to the war effort through their work in munitions factories and other sectors, remained disfranchised.
Even though women got the vote because of all their hard work and sacrifice during the years of war, it is too simple an explanation. There were other reasons why women were given the vote. The vote was a compensation for them having to give their newfound freedom and independence in the workplace and the suffragists and in particular the suffragettes, had called off their campaign during the war and had shown their loyalty and patriotism and if they weren’t given the vote, they may have started their campaigns again, which terrified the government. The politicians who still didn’t like the idea of women voting realised it was going to happen so that is why the used the war as an excuse, so that they didn’t lose face.