Even before the 19th century, in 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft wrote “A Vindication of the rights for Women.” She argued that rational education was being provided so women couldn’t fully contribute to society, and also that women and men should both be subject to equal moral laws. It was written towards the end of the political upheaval of the French Revolution, after there had been proposals for only domestic education for women. Wollstonecraft’s book influenced 19th century feminists and, much like Betty Freidan did in the USA many years later, wanted women to achieve something more. Although the book influenced many Victorian feminists, and played a greater role than religion, “A Vindication of the rights for Women” wasn’t as important as other factors in the development of a campaign for women’s suffrage.
Due to the industrial revolution, Britain was the wealthiest nation in the world during the 19th century and this meant the women were benefiting. They had better jobs, better pay and better working conditions because of Britain’s economic supremacy. This lead to women gaining much more independence under the law. This increased independence was important in the development for women’s suffrage, but it wasn’t the most important factor.
During the late 1800s, women in Britain could see other nations in the Empire giving their female citizens the vote and were frustrated that this wasn’t the case in Britain. In 1881, women in the Isle of Man got the vote; in1893 women in New Zealand got the vote and in 1902 women got the vote in Australia. British females could see other British women making an impact on how their country was being led, but they couldn’t have that same right in the UK. After years of complete legal inferiority, women saw advancements in other countries and questioned why that couldn’t be the case in Britain. This was a very important factor in the development of the campaign for the woman’s vote, but not as important as the advances in the UK.
During the 1800s, especially post 1870, the fundamental principle of democracy was emerging. In 1867, Benjamin Disraeli passed the Reform Act, giving working class men the vote. However there were improvements for women as well. In 1869, single women were allowed to vote in local elections for the first time. This meant that women did have a vote, just not the vote. Furthermore, in 1882, the Married Woman’s Property Act was passed which gave married women the right to buy, sell and own houses. This meant that married couples were no longer being treated as one, and the wife could have the same property rights as an unmarried woman. Women were further given independence in their roles as guardians for the poor: in 1875 the first female poor law guardian was appointed. Women’s contribution and importance in society continued to grow towards the end of the 1800s and in 1893, an act was passed stating the women were allowed to work as factory inspectors, where their decisions were vital for safety measures. These huge advancements in women’s independence and the development from their subservient role 50 years beforehand, meant that women were starting to expect a more equal treatment, which included women having the right of suffrage. These advancements for working class men, and the further political independence gained by women were the most important factors for the development of the campaign for women’s suffrage in the years after 1870.
To conclude, there were many factors that affected the development of a campaign for women’s suffrage in the years after 1870 of which the most important was the political advancements for women and the working class man’s right to suffrage which showed that opportunities were appearing for people who had had few opportunities before.
