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

In 1870, as a result of the education act, women were eligible to serve on the newly created school boards, which had the responsibility for the education of children in state schools.  After these appointments women sought the vote because they wanted to make a public statement that women were capable of governing.  This led nowhere, as women were declared ineligible for election after this campaign. Women could not understand why they were able to help the government but were not allowed to decide which party they helped.

Until 1870 women could not even possess property in her own name after marriage.  But in 1870 the women’s property act of 1870 enabled women to retain their own earnings, savings and legacies up to a value of £200.  In 1882 and act in able married women to own property independently of their husbands.  This was significant as since manhood suffrage was based on property qualifications, many women who owned property believed that it was particularly unfair that they were unable to vote this was because at this time men who owned property were allowed to vote only.  In 1884, more and more wealthy property owning women saw men less wealthy than themselves obtain the vote.  Women-owned huge acres of land, were wealthy, owned houses and were taxpayers, however the women didn’t have the same rights to men of their class and of men of a lower class as they were unable to take part in the vote when many lower class men  were.  English women farmers in 1884 had to watch the English male farmers use their newly obtained vote whilst women remained disenfranchised.

Women therefore argued that as women were allowed to hold property, they should be able to exercise their political rights that possession of property brought to its holder.  It was also believed that who put money into the national purse should be able to decide spends it.  So women taxpayers thought they should be able to vote. So women who were paying taxes were not allowed a say in who was to be represented in Parliament.

          In 1884 to thirds of adult males had gained the vote.  This annoyed women and was a strong factor for why women’s suffrage developed, as women, like criminals and patients in lunatic asylums, were not allowed to vote.  As you can imagine women were not pleased by this and did not agree that they should be compared to criminals and lunatics.

To conclude there were three main causes of campaigns for women’s suffrage after 1870 as I have explained but I feel the most important was the growth of the vote for men the fact women were almost considered to be like criminals.