The vote was seen as a way out of the oppression women experienced throughout the centuries. At the beginning of the nineteenth century so few people had the vote it had little real influence, however, by the end of the century is could be seen as a way to transform the lives of women. Suffragists felt that because they were not represented in parliament, their interests were being overlooked - men made rules favourable to themselves. They felt the vote could be used as a tool to end inequalities such as the Contagious Diseases Acts and oppression in many areas. These include financial situations - the female wage was still half that of men and women's legal positions - British marriage laws were considered the most primitive in Europe so women sought protection from cruel husbands who beat them. It was also hoped men would see women as equals if they gained the vote, improving their sexual morality. It was hoped the sexual double standards would also be eradicated meaning men would not be allowed sex before marriage. It was also predicted by some (perhaps a little optimistically) that venereal disease and eventually prostitution would disappear as an indirect result of women gaining the vote.
The movement had a number of successes in many areas of women's lives. During the eighteen hundreds working class girls were educated in either factory or workhouse schools (which were usually religion orientated) where they learnt basic skills. The education was very limited - the factory and workhouse owners were cautious about teaching the children too much in case they went in search of a better life. Other places of education included small fee paying and charity schools (set up by churches). A member of the family or a governess usually taught middle and upper class girls at home. They were mainly taught to be wives, mothers and housewives. Due to campaigns the government set up state schools for the working class meaning compulsory schooling for all children until the age of thirteen - by nineteen hundred 97% of the population could read and write. They also set up schools for upper and middle class families that taught a wide variety things such as science, economics and mathematics, broadening their horizons. Some universities opened up to women in the 1980s, which was also a major achievement. This opened up many possibilities to middle and upper class.
Domestic service was the most common profession for working class women, but they also worked in cotton factories in the North and did other low paid, unskilled jobs. With the advancement of technology and increase in banking industries women gained jobs known as 'white blouse' work. Working conditions and wages improved due to legislation. Middle class women were generally expected to stay at home, but if the situation required they would usually become governesses and teach. As time went by women began to gain opportunities as nurses, architects, factory and workhouse inspectors and civil servants. The war also meant many women took on different roles.
Before 1980 women were unequal partners in marriage. They were considered the property of their husband and he could do as he pleased to her. The husband also had custody of the children and all the woman's money and possessions became the property of the man on marriage. There were a number of acts passed which much improved the position of women. The Married Women's Property Acts of 1870 and 1882 did not create equal rights but were at least a stepping stone. The Matrimonial Causes Act 1884 made it illegal for men to confine their wives if they refused to have sex with them. A court also ruled men did not have the right to force their wives to live with them against their will. Divorce laws were improved in the 1870s and 80s meaning women who were beaten or deserted by their husbands had custody over their children.
Women were particularly concerned about the sexual double standard that existed between men and themselves. An example of this that angered activists greatly was the Contagious Diseases Act of1864. This law allowed police to stop any woman on the streets who was suspected of prostitution and examine them for venereal disease, whether they gave consent or otherwise. This act aimed to stop the flow of venereal disease but feminists objected because it was only the female prostitutes being blamed for the problem and the men who used them (and spread the disease) were unaffected. The Ladies’ National Association, led by Josephine Butler, campaigned for the repeal of this act for many years and was finally successful in 1886. Other victories of the movement also included the raising of the age of sexual consent to 16 and the setting up of the National Vigilance Association.
There were a number of political achievements for women before they were franchised in 1918. The 700 female residents of the Isle of Man were granted the vote in 1881 – this was a huge milestone for feminists. Women were offered a chance to prove their capability in the world of politics in organisations such as the Women’s Liberal Foundation and the Independent Labour Party where they wrote political newspaper articles, gave speeches at meetings and even helped develop party policy. Another great achievement came in 1869 when single or tax paying women were able to vote in local and later county elections. Middle class women campaigned for improvements in poor working class areas. This socialist attitude coupled with the willing acceptance of women into the Labour and Liberal parties meant the left wing had a much larger female support base than the right wing conservatives did. One of the greatest victories came in 1870 with the Education Act. Women were allowed to join the School Boards meaning the could choose what was taught in schools. Women were also allowed to become Poor Law Guardians – the first was elected in 1875.
Along with the success there were also a number of failures within the movement. In education the main failure was for the working class. Although they were sent to state schools, in reality they didn’t change anything for women. What they were taught reinforced old traditions instead of redefining their role in society. So although there was a change, for the working class it was not necessarily for the better. Many jobs were not open to women for many years such as banking and law. Within marriage divorce laws were the main failure. Before the late 1860s it was very difficult and expensive to obtain a divorce so only very rich men had a chance. The Divorce Act 1867 improved things for men but there was a double standard between men and women. The conditions that were required for a woman to claim divorce were almost impossible (they had to prove it) and gaining custody of their children was also a huge problem. Many other double standards also remained, for example it was seen as acceptable for men to have sex outside marriage but not for women. The quest for sexual equality was seen as the largest failure of the movement. Male moral standards were not raised and there were only a few small victories such as the repeal of the CDAs. In politics many other countries granted women the vote before Britain (except for the Isle of Man). Although women had a significant role in Labour and Liberal politics, they were given a very secondary role in the Conservative Party where they mainly baked cakes for Party rallies etc. One of the major victories was the gaining of positions on School Boards. This privilege was taken away from women just after the turn of the century when Suffragist Lydia Becker encouraged boys as well as girls to do activities such as needlework and cooking. Men saw this as ridiculous. They made sure women could no longer exercise their feminist ideals so effectively.
In conclusion it can be seen that although a strong feminist movement had emerged by 1900, only limited gains were made towards female Suffrage. The main reason for this was that Suffragists were challenging the philosophy their society was based on – the public and private spheres. Victorians believed men, who had hunted for food throughout history, were better suited to the public sphere of work and politics whereas women, who bore children and breast-fed, were considered to be better in their ‘natural domain’ - home - looking after children, cooking and cleaning. Other reasons included general public opinion – of men (of course!) – having the view that women were inferior and were guided by their womb not their mind. Some feared family life would be destroyed because women would be off at political meetings instead of taking care of the house. It was the general feeling that most women didn’t even want the vote – the Suffragists were just a minority of unstable and frustrated women. People were afraid of changing a political system that (in their opinion) worked perfectly, especially since Britain was the most powerful country in the world. Others believed women were represented by their husbands anyway because their political position was supposed to be the same.
