The Changing Role and Status of Women in Britain

The Changing Role and Status of Women in Britain

1. Explain why women failed to gain the right to vote between 1900

and 1914.

In the twentieth century women’s role in society was hugely different

to what it is today. Women were regarded as being inferior to men and

were treated as such. Although girls were given a compulsory state

education 1870, few went to university and those who did were not

awarded a degree. Women had very few rights under marriage, when a

woman married; she and all her possessions became the property of her

husband. Furthermore the criminal acts today of wife-battering and

marital rape were legal. Even with this occurring in many marriages it

was extremely difficult for a woman to get a divorce, as it was too

expensive.

During this period there was also a strong sexual double standard.

Sexual purity was crucial for a woman of good standing. Men of the

middle and upper classes spread and produced pornographic material and

prostitution. This was hypocritical as men of these classes would have

never considered their own daughters to be involved in pornography or

prostitution.

Women who did work in this period were working class doing low paid

menial jobs. Middle and upper class women were expected to stay at

home, and if a women working the same job as a man she would be paid

less for it. Considering women were viewed as domesticated property,

exploited for sex and used to work for low wages it is understandable

women failed to gain the vote between 1900 and 1914 with these

anti-feminist views.

Furthermore in the early 1900’s getting women suffrage depended on the

government’s support and ...

... middle of paper ...

...s most of the women contributing to the war effort

were under this age. Nevertheless it was the first step to gaining

equal franchine in 1928. The First World War certainly helped to raise

the awareness of the women’s suffrage cause as a credible one, by

showing they could work as well as men.

Furthermore the extinguinshing of militancy from the movement helped

the public to realise sympathise with them and therefore give them

their support. However some may say that the First World War was not

the reason for reform because of several underlying issues. The

government did not want to give women the vote because their work on

the home front, but were forced to by enfranchising all the soldiers

who served, By doing this and not recognises women’s efforsts in the

war they would have faced a huge resurgence in militancy.