The Changing Role And Status of Women - The Setting Up of the Women's Social And Political Union (WSPU) In 1903

Chris Willerton

Modern History Coursework No.1: -

The Changing Role And Status of Women

The Setting Up of the Women’s Social And Political Union (WSPU) In 1903

Mary Woollstencroft caused a stir in 1792, when her book ‘Vindication of the Rights of Women’ was published, which claimed women were equal to men. She was a pioneer of the Women’s Movement.

During the 19th century, developing concepts of socialism grew alongside the analysis and criticism of the position of women in the family and by 1900, there was the cultivation and acceptance of a curious paradox about the nature of women. Science and society still nurtured the beliefs that women were less intelligent and weaker both physically and emotionally than men. Women were also revered and elevated for their sensitivity and feminine virtue. Women also had to be protected and cosseted from the brutal realities of the world. Such beliefs, held by many women as well as men, meant many of the iniquities and inequalities such as the denial of voting rights, could be justified on the grounds either that women were incapable of understanding or that they would be tainted by the experience.

Emmeline Pankhust and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia founded the WSPU Party in 1903. These women wanted the right to vote. And they weren’t prepared to wait. They became engaged in the first act of physical violence in the struggle for the vote at the hands of Liberal Party supporters during a meeting in Manchester in 1905. This happened when Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney asked what the government’s intentions were over votes for women. Edward Grey ignored their question, because this ‘wasn’t a fitting subject’. The women reacted by unrolling banners, they asked their question again. But this time they were seized, kicked down the stairs and then thrown from the hall. They suffered physical injury. Outside they held a protest meeting and were arrested for obstruction. After refusing to pay their fines, they were sent to prison.

The WSPU party had a new motto - ‘Deeds Not Words’.

The Union became better known as the Suffragettes. Members of the Suffragettes were prepared to use violence to get what they wanted, unlike Millicent Fawcett who founded the National Union of Women’s Suffrage; she believed in peaceful protest, because she felt that any violence or trouble would have persuaded me n that women couldn’t be trusted to have the right to vote. Millicent Fawcett’s game plan was patience and logical arguments. Fawcett argued that women could hold responsible posts in society, such as sitting on school boards – ...

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The WSPU party had a new motto - ‘Deeds Not Words’.

The Union became better known as the Suffragettes. Members of the Suffragettes were prepared to use violence to get what they wanted, unlike Millicent Fawcett who founded the National Union of Women’s Suffrage; she believed in peaceful protest, because she felt that any violence or trouble would have persuaded me n that women couldn’t be trusted to have the right to vote. Millicent Fawcett’s game plan was patience and logical arguments. Fawcett argued that women could hold responsible posts in society, such as sitting on school boards – but apparently they couldn’t be trusted to vote. Surely, she argued, if parliament made laws and if women had to obey the laws, then women should be part of the process of making those laws. She also argued that as women had to pay the same taxes as men, they should have the same rights as men. Fawcett’s progress was slow and she only managed to convert a few members of the Labour Representation Committee (soon to be the Labour party), but most men in Parliament believed that women would simply not understand how parliament worked and therefore shouldn’t take part in the electoral process.

Methods Used To Get The Vote

A number of ways were tried to get the vote for women. These options included women refusing to pay their taxes, protests, marches and riots/domestic violence. The WSPU also took things to extremes e.g. smashing windows and even demolishing part of David Lloyd George’s house. David Lloyd George was probably Britain’s most famous politician at the time and he was thought to be a supporter of women’s right to vote.

Some of the Suffragettes chained themselves to railings outside the homes of important people and many of those sent to prison starved themselves and had to endure forced-feeding, for their cause. The notorious ‘Cat and Mouse Act’ of 1913 allowed the temporary release of such prisoners if their health was considered to be endangered, therefore lessening the risk of them dying and becoming martyrs for the cause, or the government being blamed for the death.

One of the first martyrs for the WSPU, even though she wasn’t thought to be a member, was Emily Wilding Davison. In June 1913, Emily Davison was killed when she jumped in front of the King’s horse at the Derby as it rounded Tattenham Corner. However, her actions didn’t do too well, as she was also a highly educated woman – many men all over Britain asked ‘If this is what an educated woman does, what might a lesser educated woman do?’ Many men were scared of this and asked ‘How can they possibly be given the right to vote?’

Other Things That Were Happening At The Same Time

There were a number of things that were diverting attention away from the ‘Votes for Women’ matter. These included the naval race between Britain and Germany in 1908, and the continuing Irish Home Rule issue. The House of Commons was also having a power battle with the House of Lords between 1909-11. There were miners’ strikes going on in 1912 as well, and at the time this was very important as Britain depended on using a lot of coal. These problems were considered a lot more important than women’s votes and it was considered rude to try to overshadow these.

Both men and women lost respect and any sympathy that they had for votes for women because some women were constantly trying to gain attention for their cause by going to extremes, as illustrated earlier.

Conclusion

From studying the issue of ‘Votes for Women’ and looking particularly at the Suffragettes, I have found a number of things:

Neither Emmeline Pankhurst, nor Millicent Fawcett succeeded in getting the vote for women, though both contributed considerably to it. Women eventually got the vote just after World War 1 (1914-1918) had finished. This was largely because of their hard work, and by proving that they could do men’s jobs, in a mature manner. But only women over the age of thirty were allowed to vote, as at that age, women were considered to have passed their ‘militant stage’.