Why Women Failed to Get the Vote Before 1914

Why Women Failed to Get the Vote Before 1914

In this question I am going to highlight all the key points and

sources of women failing to gain the vote before 1914.

Votes for women were always a relatively low priority. Parliaments

before the Great-war were composed entirely of men and concentrated

more on the Irish home rule, serious industrial issues and threats

from Germany. As the outbreak of war begun in 1914, women dropped

their fight for the vote and concentrated more on the war cause.

In 1908 the liberal Prime Minister Asquith, was less sympathetic

towards women than Henry Campbell-Bannerman the former prime minister.

Liberal leaders were scared that if women gained the vote then they

would vote for the conservatives despite liberal M.P.’S being in

favour of women’s votes.

Many governments were happy for the women to have the vote but they

made sure that parliament failed the bills.

Women formed two groups the suffragists and the suffragettes. The

suffragists were more moderate as they protested and argued with the

M.P.’S for the vote, however the suffragettes took a more violent

approach as they went round smashing windows and chaining themselves

up to things to get the attention for the vote. The actions of some of

the suffragettes antagonised the public opinion, suffragettes were

seen by many sections of society as trouble-causes who were trying to

look good. Women felt and remained powerless at that time as they had

the pressures of looking after large families, most women saw politics

as a man’s preserve. As not all men were allowed to vote many believed

that not all women should be allowed to vote. This was unacceptable to

people in the ruling classes as they didn’t believe men of the lower

order should be voting. Others believed that some men would get more

than one vote as they could influence their female partners to vote

the same as them. When most women got married they had to give up

their jobs to stay at home to look after their husband, kids and the