"Leeds Express: 4 March 1868
I wonder, Mr Editor,
Why I can't have the vote;
And I will not be contented
Till I've found the reason out
I am a working woman,
My voting half is dead,
I hold a house, and want to know
Why I can't vote instead
I pay my rates in person,
Under protest tho, it's true;
But I pay them, and I'm qualified
To vote as well as you."
Sarah Ann Jackson
The purpose of this investigation is to analyse the issues surrounding
the eventual enfranchisement of women in 1918, to draw conclusions
about the effectiveness of the militant Suffragette campaign in the
early years of the twentieth century and to decide whether the
outbreak of war was instrumental in achieving enfranchisement, or
merely a fortunate coincidence.
The poem written by Sarah Ann Jackson underlines the fact that many
middle class women had, throughout the reign of Queen Victoria, taken
issue with men's dominance over their lives and had worked hard
throughout these years to draw attention to women's right to equality.
For these women, enfranchisement was not their sole aim. Queen
Victoria was a fierce opponent of women's rights.
"The Queen is most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write
to join in checking this mad wicked folly of women's rights, with all
its attendant horrors on which her poor sex is bent."
Queen Victoria 1870
Traditionally women's roles were within the home as "moral educators"
and little or no formal education was offered to them, leaving them
domestic prisoners[1]. Two factors in achieving their emancipation had
to be addressed. Women needed an equal entitlement to the educational
opportunities offered to men and they needed to gain the right to
vote. Without access to equal opportunities they could not compete
with men in the work place and therefore could not achieve financial
independence.[2] In order to change these policies women needed the
Martin Pugh, in his evaluation of women’s suffrage, focuses his narrative on the Victorian Suffragists, especially from the 1870s to 1890s, arguing- unlike many other historians- that their contribution to the securing of votes for women was instrumental. Presented through 10 essays, focusing on specific topics related to the Suffragist movement, Pugh provides an in depth analysis of both the tactics and political climate the Victorian Women’s Suffrage movement faced. Organised in roughly chronological order, the prose is fluent with constant reference to central ideas featuring in each text, consolidating Pugh’s point.
The women’s job in that era are meant keep her house clean and feed her children (Doc C). They are also dependent on the city administration to make their lives decent (Doc C). The women’s suffrage movement fought because woman needed to fulfil her traditional responsibilities in the house and to her children, which makes it a must to use the ballot and have the home safe (Doc C). All women needs to have a chance to voice their opinion to help the community strive, and one way to do that is making them able to vote.
In the years after 1870 there were many reasons for the development of the women’s suffrage movement. The main reasons were changes in the law. Some affecting directly affecting women, and some not, but they all added to the momentum of Women’s campaign for the vote.
During this time period, the idealistic view of a woman was running the household while the husband provided a source of income. For a woman not to follow this role, society deemed as untraditional. However, many women began to criticize this role because they believed they should be granted the same opportunities as men. For example, in Document 3, a woman can be seen working in a factory. This is an example of a woman breaking the traditional societal role to provide a source of income for herself, rather than having it be provided for her. Not only did a vast amount of women enter the workforce, but they also began to fight for more opportunities. They fought for opportunities such as equal education, pay, and political
The radical and pro-militancy rhetoric employed by both women in the reported speeches situates them at the inception of the most radical phase of the suffragette campaign. As this public meeting was held, a Franchise Bill was being presented before the House of Commons, concerning the possibility of women’s suffrage. For this reason, Mrs. Dove-Wilcox
World War II was the largest and most violent armed conflict in the history of mankind.
World War I is remembered as a soldier's conflict for the six million men who
Through the history, women have always fought for their rights creating a new space for their participation as citizens. After the First World War during the 1920s and 1930s new histories of women suffragettes have been written. During that period of time some activist groups were created, for instance, the Edwardian women’s suffrage movement that created in women a ‘Suffragette Spirit’ with the same goals and purposes even with the same militant procedures such as radical feminism that involved hunger strike and forcible feeding. This argument have become controversial due to different points of view in recent years. Another samples are the formation of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), a group led by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst under an autocratic system; Women’s Freedom League (WFL), a self-proclaimed militant organization and National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). These groups were formed in Britain giving way to creation of some texts that explain the actions of the feminist groups and were the basis to achieve the right of suffragettes. Furthermore, the author of this article talks about a second narrative published in 1914 by Constance Lytton that explain about her own experiences in a militant period and personal sacrifice in an attempt to vote. Finally, her experience of militancy had become the archetype of suffrage militancy. In addition, she became in a feminist and kept touch with important members of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). According to Lytton (cited in Mayhall, 1995: 326) She said that whilst she felt sympathy towards men, children and even animals – those that she said were ‘down-trodden’ – she had completely ‘been blind to the particular sufferings ...
Many ancient laws and beliefs show that women from all around the world have always been considered inferior to men. However, as time went on, ideas of equality circulated around and women started to demand equality. Many women fought for equality and succeeded in bringing some rights. However, full equality for women has yet to be fulfilled. This issue is important because many women believe that the rights of a person should not be infringed no matter what their gender is, and by not giving them equality, their rights are being limited. During the periods 1840 to 1968, total equality for women did not become a reality due to inadequate political representation, economic discrepancy, and commercial objectification.
Women's Suffrage and World War I In my opinion British women would not have gained the right to vote in 1918 without the First World War. In my research to substantiate my view, I obtained my information from my history book and the Internet I will state the source of my information and explain how the information links to the causes and effects that enabled women to get the vote. During the war, women were given responsibility and knowledge to carry out skilled work.
Women throughout the suffrage act were faced with many challenges that eventually led into the leading roles of women in the world today. Suffrage leaders adopted new arguments to gain new support. Rather than insisting on the justice of women’s suffrage, or emphasizing equal rights, they spoke of the special moral and material instincts women could bring to the table. Because of these women taking leaps and boundaries, they are now a large part of America’s government, and how our country operates.
Although they were fighting for a worthy cause, many did not agree with these women’s radical views. These conservative thinkers caused a great road-block on the way to enfranchisement. Most of them were men, who were set in their thoughts about women’s roles, who couldn’t understand why a woman would deserve to vote, let alone want to vote. But there were also many women who were not concerned with their fundamental right to vote. Because some women were indifferent in regards to suffrage, they set back those who were working towards the greater good of the nation. However, the suffragettes were able to overcome these obstacles by altering their tactics, while still maintaining their objective.
When the war began men had to leave their families and jobs behind. World War I was a complete war because all of the world’s assets had to be used and the entire nation’s population was involved. Anyone that had the ability to work had to work. The women had to take up jobs and went through a lot changes in order to support their families during the war. World War I gave women with the chance to have a significant part in the victory of the war which had an impact them and changed the lives of all women forever.
In the past, many people believed that women’s exclusive responsibilities were to serve their husband, to be great mothers and to be the perfect wives. Those people considered women to be more appropriate for homemaking rather than to be involved in business or politics. This meant that women were not allowed to have a job, to own property or to enjoy the same major rights as men. The world is changing and so is the role of women in society. In today’s society, women have rights that they never had before and higher opportunities to succeed.
Specifically, females’ tendency to embark upon part-time instead of full-time occupations and their ability to discontinue work have provided them with lesser privileges—decreased pension rights, lower individual assets, and reduced long-term incomes.... ... middle of paper ... ... Typifying the roles of men and women in the labor force due to family concerns and women’s biological purpose has provided men with a source of comparative advantage in work.