Why did a campaign for women's suffrage develop in the years after 1870?

adult householder living in a borough constituency. It also meant male lodgers paying £10 for unfurnished rooms were granted the vote. This gave the vote to about 1,500,000 men. But one thing the act failed to change was the eligibility of women to vote. This angered many women and in some eyes was the beginning of the campaigns. This act implied that there was no place for women in democracy and that gender dictated your ability to make rational decisions. This leads on to what I believe to be one of the most pressing issues when talking about universal suffrage: equality. Throughout British history there had been a lack of status for women resulting in them being seen as lesser beings and in many cases led to them conforming to their place in society, with such sexist attitudes it seemed as if there was no place in the polling stations for women, but in the years leading up to 1870 women had been more involved in society and had been fulfilling roles which not so long ago would have been seen as suitable only for men. Along with taking part in general elections women began to get involved with trade unions and school board’s they also started seeking employment in fields such as teaching and medicine. One example of an inspired woman is Elizabeth Garret Anderson, who became the first female to graduate as a doctor. These advancements in society contributed towards women’s claims to suffrage, arguing that a man, whether he was a drunk or criminal, was eligible to cast a vote where as an established professional women, could not.   Another thing that brought about several change was that public opinion at the time had begun to sway towards the conclusion that suffrage should be extended to women, and many men were coming to realize that maybe women could help in running the country. This idea had already been approved in several other countries e.g. Finland, Denmark, Russia and New Zealand, who also happened to be part of the British Empire. This added to the incentive for changes to be made in the U.K. Another rather dubious issue that aided the need for a campaign was the so-called attitude that women would bring to governing the country. Although sexist within itself, it was thought that women would transform the government into a calmer more peaceful governing body, which would refrain from violent actions. It was also believed that women would be more lenient in terms of policies resulting in better treatment of people.