Why did a campaign for Womens suffrage develop in the years after 1870?
Why did a campaign for Women's suffrage develop in the years after 1870?
In the second half of the 19th Century the rights of women began to develop towards greater equality with men. In the years after 1870 many factors began to contribute to a change. Woman began to rebel against the unfair situation they were in and slowly began to see a result.
At the start of the Victorian age the position of women was even more clearly divided from the position of men than between the rich and poor. The strong division between men and women of the upper and middle classes kept women at home and men at work. Women would show the status of her household by remaining idle at all times. Ladies from respectable backgrounds were not expected to have careers or to work. Even the household chores or looking after of the children would be carried out by a servant. Having a female member of your family work would bring shame upon the husband. It would be assumed that the husband or father could not afford to support them on his own wages. Therefore, women were encouraged to remain idle and to leave household chores to domestic servants. This was true from the nobility of the country to the houses of the middle classes. Women were not even encouraged to take exercise except riding and dancing.
The working class women however, had live a lot harder. Often the men's wages alone could not support the family. Wives or children would usually also need to work in order to earn enough money for the family. They could not afford to employ domestic servants, like the higher classes and this would mean that it was particularly burdensome for working class women. As well as raising their children, they would carry out the household chores like cooking and cleaning.
Whilst working women were employed in factories, laundries or in trades like dressmaking and domestic service other, more significant and responsible careers were denied women of the middle and upper classes. Life for wealthy women however, was very different to that of the working class women, although they still had things in common. Neither had any legal status. A married women's earnings automatically belonged to her husband. Her property and all goods all belonged to her husband. He owned the house and any land, even though many poor people hardly owned anything of their own. Dole money for the poor was paid to the man of the family, which did not necessarily mean that it reached his wife and children.
Women could not go to university and take a degree like many men could. She could not get a divorce on the grounds of adultery alone, as her husband could. Even a woman's children belonged to her husband. If a coupe separated, the husband could take the children and refuse to let the mother even see them. Women could do nothing about this.
A woman could not vote. On the other hand in the first half of the century few men were even allowed the vote. In 1832 the Great Reform Act gave the vote to property owners of £10 a year. By 1867, all male householders were able to vote and in 1860 1/10th of men could vote. The reform act of 1884 allowed virtually all adult males the vote. Women still had not rights. This led to become a factor in the growing campaign for female suffrage after this time. Women, especially of the upper class, were annoyed at how they had fewer rights than the working class men, and how they had no distinction of rights from working class women.
These changes arose once women began to have an education. Demands for the emancipation (setting free) of women from male control were rare before the development of girls' education in the second half of the 19th Century. The rise of public schools such as Cheltenham Ladies' College and university colleges for 'young ladies' and the start of state elementary schools led the way for changes in female status. In 1850 Frances Buss founded the North London Collegiate School. In 1873, women were finally given the right to go to University.
Women from wealthy families became increasingly unhappy with idleness. Having no money of their own, they saw them selves as even less independent than factory women. They didn't approve of the idea of this and saw Florence Nightingale as an example of what they could accomplish. Florence Nightingale was a member of an upper class, respectable family, who went against all the expectations of an upper class woman to become a nurse. They demanded that the professions like nursing should be opened to women so that they could play a useful part in society. A start was made when the London School of Medicine for Women opened in 1874. Twenty-five years later, there were over 300 lady doctors.
It made women happy that they had finally been given the right to education and job opportunities but it still annoyed them that with all of this they were still denied the vote. SOURCE A, a Suffragette poster produced in 1912, showed their argument. A woman could be a mayor, nurse, mother doctor or teacher, earning the utmost respect and carrying out crucial jobs and yet still not have the vote. On the other hand a man may be a convict, lunatic, or drunkard and still be in titled to vote. This seemed very unfair.
The introduction of the telephone and typewriter brought into being a whole new range eof female occupations lower down the scale, from the 1880s onwards. Women and girls who wanted something better than factory work or domestic services now became telephone operators or typists. The idea of employing women in offices had previously been unheard of, yet by 1901, 7% of all business and commercial clerks were women. The rapid expansion of elementary schools after 1870 provided yet another career for women in teaching. Meanwhile thousands more became shop assistants.
Women still did not have the vote, ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
The introduction of the telephone and typewriter brought into being a whole new range eof female occupations lower down the scale, from the 1880s onwards. Women and girls who wanted something better than factory work or domestic services now became telephone operators or typists. The idea of employing women in offices had previously been unheard of, yet by 1901, 7% of all business and commercial clerks were women. The rapid expansion of elementary schools after 1870 provided yet another career for women in teaching. Meanwhile thousands more became shop assistants.
Women still did not have the vote, but in other areas, such as their legal rights, improvements were made especially after 1850. One of their greatest grievances concerned ownership of property. In 1870 Parliament at last took action, allowing married women to keep their own earnings. Not until 1882 were wives granted the right to own property and give it to whom they wished. These Married Women's Property Acts gave wives new legal status that finally separated them from masculine control.
In 1888, Women were finally granted the right to vote for County and County Borough Councils. In 1907 they were even allowed to become councillors themselves. They continued to play no part in central government however. By this stage, English Feminists had accomplished many goals. Women could serve on town councils and school boards, could be factory inspectors, could even vote in select regional elections if they had enough property, and could even become mayors like Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, but they still could not vote for Parliament. It was at this time that the first organisations for women's suffrage began, most notably the Female Political Association, founded by a Quaker named Anne Knight. Their patient efforts to gain the vote was still denied them the vote.
Before 1870, much had been accomplished due to the campaigns of women. One of the very first was Mary Smith, an unmarried property owner. In 1832 she quietly petitioned Parliament to include female property owners in the vote. Caroline Norton was another important figure who brought about the Infants Custody Bill by which children under 7 could stay with the mother, after separation and divorce of the parents.
Barbara Bodichon wrote pamphlets and collected signatures supporting a Married Woman's Property Bill that eventually came into power in 1856. Her situation was very rare as her father had brought her up exactly the same as his sons, but she was campaigning for equal rights for all women. The support of the MP John Stuart Mill was supported by those working for women's suffrage. They supported his election campaign in 1865, leading him to become an important ally in Parliament.
The first organisation designed to actively campaign for female suffrage was set up by Anne Knight and was called the Female Political Association. In 1903, the important Women's Social and Political Union and the suffragette movement was founded by Emmeline Pankhurst and her two daughters.
We can see how before the time of 1870, the struggle for woman's equality had only a small impact. It was now that women were becoming educated, which I think is an important factor, allowing women to stand up for their own rights. They no longer were happy with living idle lives and started questioning why there was such a divide between them and the male population. It is clear that once the suffragist and suffragettes movement was founded that changes began to take place. I think that this joining of forces allowed women to come together and fight for their rights with more power. Individuals such as Caroline Norton and Barbara Bodichon also led the way for more changes, as their individual roles played a large part in the realisation of the issue. It was after 1870 that the build up of all these factors resulted in a concerted and organised campaign to achieve female suffrage.
Describe the ways in which the methods of the suffragists and suffragettes were different.
Early in the 19th century campaigns for women's rights had already begun. At this time, the campaigns generally involved wealthy women such as Mary Smith, an unmarried property owner, who in 1832 quietly petitioned Parliament urging the inclusion of propertied women as those in titled to vote. At the time, the House of Commons laughed at the petition, a reaction that would be repeated several times over the next few decades. It was later in the second half of the century that organisations began to form, uniting supporters of women's suffrage. The first and most notable was the Female Political Association, formed by a Quaker named Anne Knight. Their patient efforts were peaceful but failed to produce a result.
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) founded in 1903 by Mrs Pankhurst and her two daughters also adopted peaceful methods at first. However this was to change, as more women became frustrated at the governments refusal to give them the vote.
The name of suffragists was given to the peaceful demonstrators. The early suffragists were a well-connected group of women who used their influence to try to persuade powerful men to take up their cause. They tended to be educated, respectable, middle class women. Demonstrations would always be peaceful. Their efforts would also consist of petitions and dignified marches. Letters written to influential MPs and important people were an important part of their strategy as well as regular meetings, allowing them to discuss their actions and decide the best next move. They also gave lectures to educate people about their concerns.
The Liberal victory in the 1906 election raised the hopes of suffragists, for many Liberal MP's were on their side. The Cabinet however, was divided on the issue, resulting in no positive action being taken. This annoyed the suffragists. The suffragettes began to change their tactics. This wasn't helped by the response of the Prime Minister at the time, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. He agreed with the arguments but proposed no improvements. He urged the women "to go on pestering" and to exercise 'the virtue of patience'. Some of the women had been working for women's rights for as long as fifty years. His advice to keep on pestering was soon to prove quite unwise as women were infuriated and the stage of revolt began.
It was at this stage that the suffragettes really surfaced. In 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst, a longstanding member of the suffragist group decided to beak away and form a separate society. Mrs Pankhurst, along with so many other supporters, thought the suffrage campaign needed an injection of new blood and a change of tactics. She had grown impatient with the old-fashioned, respectable ways of the suffragists so, with her daughters, she started the WSPU.
Their new tactics included heckling speakers at political meetings and chaining themselves to railings outside Downing Street and Ministers homes. Younger members of the WSPU considered even more violent tactics as a means of gaining publicity for their causes. They burned letterboxes and buildings, hurled bricks through shop windows and generally made a nuisance of themselves. Their behaviour deeply shocked Edwardian society.
In 1912, a violent campaign was organised by Christabel Pankhurst. Shop windows were smashed, telephone wires were cut, they tore up golf greens and poured acid on them and they slashed paintings in the national Gallery and Manchester Art Gallery. They set fire to the contents of port boxes and broke lampposts and caused great arson to the houses of MPs and other public buildings. Emily Davison, a suffragette, threw herself under the King's horse at the Derby and was fatally injured.
When arrested, they would respond by going on hunger strike while in prison. The prison authorities forcibly fed many. This caused public outrage. The government passed a new law that became known as the Cat and Mouse Act. Hunger strikers would be released when they became dangerously ill and were re-arrested as soon as they were strong again.
SOURCE D, part of a book called 'My own story' by Emmeline Pankhurst, shows us why they decided these tactics helped them. She tells of how the suffragist method brought no improvements. She goes on to say how they will now fight for their course. She also mentions how the violent campaign was making them a matter of news and how the newspapers were full of them. The press would often publish their sensational acts in the paper exactly as intended by the suffragettes in order to gain publicity. However, with all news of the paper proprietors being male, the stories would usually condemn the women's action. E.g. the Times wrote a report reading: 'Reckless fanaticism - not regarded as qualification for the franchise'. It is basically using their violent behaviour was proof that it would be impractical to give them the vote.
This was the sort of action that inspired the cartoon in SOURCE C. In it, the two women are both campaigners for female suffrage, but one is a suffragist and the other a suffragette. The suffragist is saying to the other "You help our cause? Why, you're its worst enemy!" It is showing that, from the point of view of the peaceful campaigners who have worked for years making gradual advancements, the suffragettes had destroyed their progress by acting foolishly with their violent campaigns and attacks. Women were split between the two groups. Most preferred to use force and violent methods but those who did not agree with the suffragettes split from the WSPU and formed the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
It was the acts of the suffragettes that made the government more stubborn in its determination not to give women the vote. The government saw their behaviour to be unacceptable for people wanting the right to vote. The public saw their actions as shameful. The use of violent methods did more harm than good to the suffragette's cause. Their opponents could claim that women had shown themselves to be irresponsible. However, the more they were rejected, the angrier they became.
Why did many people oppose giving women the right to vote before 1914?
Despite gains made by women in the second half of the 19th Century there was still large opposition to women's legal and political rights, and although some improvements were made, the issue of giving women the vote was still fiercely opposed.
There were many varied reasons explaining why people opposed the vote for women. Even some women disagreed with the women's rights supporters, feeling that politics did not concern women. Queen Victoria was one such person, which produced a huge influence over any decisions made. SOURCE B is an extract from a book written in 1907 by Marie Corelli. It shows how she also disagrees with giving the vote to women. She says that "women were and are destined to make voters rather than to be voters themselves". By this she means that it is the women's role to be mothers and give birth to male voters, and that the injustice that women receive from men can even be blamed on themselves for raising their sons in that way.
Most men (though not all) also strongly believed this. Women were seen as the weaker sex and so were thought not to be able to make such important decisions. They believed that if women were given the choice between candidates, they would make their choice based on attractiveness or how charming they were, rather than the political issues, and saw them as being too sentimental to make the right choice.
Another part of the argument is shown in SOURCE E, part of a speech given by an MP in 1913. The MP is making the point that in giving the women the right to vote, they would be putting the control of the government into female hands. It shows a fear that if women succeeded, they would ultimately be able to control the country's future, and this worried many people, as they did not see women to be capable. Men believed it was their job to provide for and protect women and so believed they were doing this by keeping them away form politics. Women didn't see it this way.
The government also continued to refuse the vote for women. The fact that at the time, even some men still did not have the vote was one of the issues that they raised. The Government felt it unfair that women would be able to have the vote before some men. They decided that they would refuse women the vote at least until all men were enfranchised which was not the case until 1918.
Women believed though, that it was unfair, and that they hadn't had the chance to show they were competent. Many people saw the way that the suffragettes were acting as a way of proving how incapable they were to make rational decisions. They seemed 'unfit' to have the vote because of their behaviour. The Government was strong and showed their determination not to give into violent tactics. Even those MPs sympathetic to the women's cause were put off by the violent and criminal activities of the WSPU. They saw how even the Women's movement had been split and was unable to even organise itself.
These factors and beliefs stood strongly in preventing women gaining the vote for many years. It is easy to see how, without women being able to show otherwise, many people in Government supported the arguments along with many members of the public. The action that the suffragettes took against this only worsened the situation created further opposition. This factor must have been very convincing at the time. It was because of all these factors that it wasn't until 1918 that the first women were given the vote, at the same time as all men also were. Even then, there still was not complete equality as it was only the women over 30 who became able to vote.
Women over 30 gained the vote in 1918 mainly because of women's contribution to the war effort. Do you agree? Explain your answer.
In 1918 following the end of the First World War, the vote was granted to women over thirty who were householders or wives of householders (and also to all men over twenty-one). The struggle for women's suffrage had been an issue since the middle of the 19th century. The question arose as to whether the final inclusion of women in the parliamentary election was due to their long struggle, or whether it was as a reward for their hard work during the war proving their capability.
In 1914, war broke out. All the women's violent tactics, as well as peaceful ones were immediately stopped. They were encouraged, even by Mrs Pankhurst, to help in every way possible to do their bit towards the war effort. With the men fighting and in the trenches, women were left to take up their jobs and keep industries and businesses running.
We can see in SOURCE F (a poster produced by the government in 1916) how the government were now turning to women for assistance. Women were now needed and were encouraged to consider a much wider range of jobs, despite being offered lower pay than men for doing the same work. Many women enjoyed the work and learnt new skills. Many men were happier if the women took on traditionally female occupations - nurses, canteen ladies etc. - rather than more important roles, which shows that some men's attitudes had changed very little.
SOURCE G shows other jobs that women took responsibility over during the war period. It shows statistics of the women in employment in Britain in July 1914 in comparison to July 1918. In all areas there is a very obvious increase. It includes Metal industries, Chemical industries and Food, drink and tobacco, all either doubling or trebling the numbers of female workers. However, the most outstanding increase was in Government offices, an area of employment that women would previously have been most discriminated against. An increase of 223,000 women from 2,000 to 225,000 took place.
Showing that they were able to carry out these jobs gained women the respect of men. Women became more independent, often taking charge of the family, home and budget. However, when the men came back after the war the women left their employment. In 1918 politicians gave the vote to women over 30.
Historians have long debated whether this contribution to the war effort finally earned them the vote. The different points of view are well balanced and yet indecisive. Some suggest it was a reward for the responsible conduct they carried out during the war at the time of crisis while others offer a different point of view. SOURCE H from a history book called 'Women's Suffrage in Britain, 1867-1928' says how a very simplified view would see the vote as a reward for loyal wartime service. It brings up the important point that the politicians also agreed with, that the women who had brought children up had successfully performed a service for the government that could be rewarded by giving the vote to such loyal citizens. From this the idea that the vote was given as a reward for bringing up children successfully rather than for their wartime work.
SOURCE J shows a different point of view, more that the vote was a reward for the suffragettes giving up their violent tactics and proving themselves capable of more reasonable conduct. The source is part of a speech by Herbert Asquith in the House of Commons in 1917. At the time, the suffragettes had not restarted their campaigns due to the war. Asquith makes note of their enthusiastic contribution to every service except fighting and supports some measure of women's suffrage.
The two above sources show reasons for women's suffrage only slightly linked to the war. However, SOURCE I, from a history book called 'Women as war' supports the view that the vote was a result of war taking place. It makes the point that during the four years of conflict a large mood favourable to change had been created for many social and political changes of which women's suffrage was just one. This then led the way for the vote to be given to women.
Considering the evidence given it is fair to say that there is no straightforward answer to whether the right for women to vote was a result of the war or not. In some ways, I disagree with the statement. Before the war broke out, women had been working hard for a change for around a century. They had slowly been progressing towards their goal and had been fighting hard. Many events had taken place that helped aid the women's movement with no relation to the war. For instance, the violent tactics of the Suffragettes had brought the issue into the media and gained public attention for the cause.
However, women were being held back for various reasons. The Suffragettes for example were making a mockery of their name by acting in a shameful manner, putting people off giving them the vote. Many politicians disagreed with giving women the vote simply for the reason that they saw the women as incapable due to these actions. Even the suffragists who were still campaigning peacefully were disgraced by their action. Women also felt that men doubted them because they had not been able to prove themselves. It would also have been impossible for government to grant women the vote as a reward for violence.
When war broke out the suffragettes were persuaded by their own leaders to halt their movement for the time being in order to help in the war effort. They no longer campaigned and caused havoc. With the men fighting, women were also at last given the chance they wanted to show that they were capable. Government was impressed by how they handled the situation. I think this is a very important factor in the introduction of the women's vote. Another contribution may have been the fact that on the same date, all men were given the vote for the first time also. I think that if war had not broken out, women would still have worked to finally gain the vote but not for a long time. It was the war that acted as a catalyst, to help speed up the movement.
Harriet Kemp