Women over 30 gained the vote in 1918 mainly because of women’s contribution to the war effort. Do you agree? Explain your answer.
After years of non-stop campaigning the fight for women’s suffrage was put on hold when war broke out in 1914. Campaigning grinded to a halt in order for women to replace important male jobs, and help the soldiers out at war. It is commonly believed that women gained the vote purely because of their contribution to the war efforts. But is this the case?
I believe that this is almost entirely the case, and that if war hadn’t broken out that they would not have got the vote for many more years. I believe this to be the case because before the war the women’s suffrage campaigners were getting little success from their protests, and it was firmly believed by most men that a women’s place was at home doing the chores. But when the war broke out, men had to count on women to complete vital work such as working in munitions factories, even though it was very dangerous. It involved filling shells which had high risk of explosion, and many women lost their fingers, hands, eyesight and some even their lives. They also helped the wounded at the warfront, which was also very dangerous with risks of getting caught in the crossfire. Some women received hostility in farms, hospitals and factories, but were soon treated well when the help became increasingly valuable.
