As mentioned before, some unmarried women were allowed to vote in local elections from 1869. Some major changes in their social and economic rights did also take place. From 1839, separated and divorced women could have the custody of their children. Thanks to the Married Women’s Property Acts of 1870, 1882 and 1884 married women were allowed to own property in the same term as those who were unmarried. Married women did also begin to be seen as an independent and separate person in terms of legal status. These changes are an example of how women’s social status started to improve in the second half of the 19th century. I think that this had a positive effect on supporters of female suffrage as they saw how the government was little by little improving the situation of women in society and they decided to use this as an advantage, resulting in the development of campaigns for women’s suffrage. As some unmarried women were given the vote in local elections, the rest of the women believed that they could also gain this right. Women believed that, as they were gaining equality in other areas such as divorcing, they should also receive the vote so that they were equal to men in the political area. The fact that many women had this opinion resulted in the formation of campaigns for women’s suffrage as women believed that if they exposed their opinion together they will finally receive a response.
In general I think that the fact that most men were allowed to vote in general elections by 1884, even those who were illiterate, meant that women should have had the vote as figures suggest most women were educated and high society which mean that they contributed more to the economy of the country and any changes in the political system such as the party that rules the country could have a big effect on these women in terms of their job and economic status. After the extension to the franchise in 1884 around 30,000 English women farmers saw many of their male agricultural workers use their newly-acquired right to vote when they did have this right. This was important during the years, as these workers could vote someone that will improve their working conditions by affecting negatively the land owner of the land. If this situation had occurred, then women could not have protested as they did not have the right to do so by voting. Furthermore, such male workers could use their new right against their land owner by voting a leader who was strongly against women’s suffrage to make sure that the female farmers did not receive the same rights as they had. This disadvantage faced by any women who employed men made campaigns for women’s suffrage develop in the years after 1870s.
Other changes did also take place in the 19th century which increased social equality between men and women. Education, for example, was one of the areas were women’s rights were improved. In 1878, London University opened all its degrees for women and six years earlier the education act in Scotland assured girls basic education as well as boys. These changes are just an example of how women’s position in society in comparison with men’s was becoming equal. This was significant for women, as they saw how there was an increasing equality between men and women in certain fields like education. Most women saw this victory as an opportunity to ask for more equality between men and women like equality in voting in the elections. This was one of the reasons why campaigns for women appeared, as they were used by women to increase their equality with men.
The changes that took place in relation to women’s rights strengthened women’s argument about female suffrage as they portrayed how women should be equal to men and how with time this equality would be reached without even the need of demanding it as it was something that was to come. The way in which women were given new and better opportunities in certain field made them want more, which was why they were able of strengthen their arguments. In 1894 the Parish District Councils Act extended the right to vote in parish and district councils to marred women who owned property and did also allowed women to be elected to those councils. After 1894, women had many arguments in favour of female suffrage as many women had shown how they could be trusted with their vote in local elections and many others had demonstrated this by owning property and making the economy of Britain grow. As a result of the new act in 1894 more women and also men joined the women’s suffrage campaigns as they saw how the right to vote in general election was to come soon or later with time, as little by little women were gaining more and more rights.
The changes in other countries were also important in the development of women’s suffrage campaigns as the supports of this campaign saw how in countries like New Zealand where women were given the vote in 1893 and they showed how they were as capable as any men to vote for the right candidate. This was something that attracted more supporters towards the women’s suffrage campaigns. Examples of such countries were used as a model example of English women who wanted the vote and as a result they used the political and economical status of such countries in their campaigns with the objective of exhibiting how women were as capable of men of choosing the candidate that will benefit the country. We could also say that thanks to presence of female suffrage in other countries of the modern world campaigns for women’s suffrage became more and more common with time.
Finally, as a conclusion, I think that the main reason why after 1870 a campaign for women’s suffrage occurred was mainly thanks to the growing equality between men and women and by the way in which the government was improving women’s social and economical rights. I think this made supported of the women’s suffrage see how the government was finally prepared to give the vote for women even thought they did not give this right until 1918.
