'The status of women had significantly improved by the end of 1918.' Assess the validity of this view.

P1 - Rights in marriage —> Significantly improved

• The Married Women’s Property Act (1882) allowed married women to own and inherit property.

• This gave some women, particularly the wealthier, a degree of financial independence within marriage.

• The age of consent was raised to 16 in 1886, protecting young girls from early marriage and sexual exploitation.

• The 1857 Divorce Act allowed women to apply for divorce on grounds such as cruelty, bigamy or incest.

HOWEVER

• Most WC women didn’t benefit from property rights as they owned little or nothing.

• Divorce laws remained unequal, as men could divorce on the basis of adultery alone.

• Divorce still cost around £100, making it inaccessible for most women.

• Women remained legally subordinate to their husbands within marriage.

• Marital rape was not a crime by 1918, showing continued male dominance.

• Improvements were limited, minor, and applied only to some women, meaning overall status in marriage remained low.

P2 - Voting and Legal rights → Not significantly improved

• In 1850, women could not vote in any elections; by 1918 this had clearly changed.

• The Municipal Franchise Act (1870) allowed married, rate-paying women to vote in local elections.

• This was extended to unmarried women in 1888, further widening female participation.

• By 1900, around 1 million women could vote in local elections.

• The growth of suffrage organisations such as the NUWSS and WSPU, with 55,000 members by 1914, shows increasing political influence.

• The Representation of the People Act (1918) allowed women over 30 to vote for the first time in national elections.

• Around two-thirds of women were enfranchised by 1918, marking a clear improvement compared to the mid-19th century.

HOWEVER

• Early voting rights only applied to wealthier, rate-paying women, excluding most of the working class.

• The 1918 Act imposed age and property qualifications, excluding many women who had campaigned for suffrage.

• Even many middle-class women could not meet the property requirements.

• Women who worked during the war often lost their jobs afterwards, making it harder to qualify to vote.

• Suffrage was unequal, as all men over 21 could vote while women faced restrictions.

• Most working-class women remained disenfranchised, limiting the overall significance of reform.

P3 - Work & education opportunities

• The growth of women’s rights ideas, such as Mill’s Subjection of Women, challenged the ‘separate spheres’ ideology.

• Private girls’ schools with modern curricula improved education and prospects for wealthier women.

• London University allowed women to gain degrees from 1868, increasing educational status.

• During WWI, 5.7 million women entered skilled industrial work, including metals and chemicals.

• Women broke into professions previously closed to them, such as medicine, with the first female doctor in 1859.

• After 1918, women were allowed to stand for Parliament, indicating increased legal and social recognition.

HOWEVER

• The ideology of separate spheres remained dominant, reinforced by figures such as Queen Victoria.

• Most educational improvements benefited middle- and upper-class women, excluding the working class.

• Top universities continued to exclude women, limiting their academic and professional progress.

• Many wartime employment gains were temporary and reversed after 1918.

• Women were pushed back into low-paid domestic service and paid less than men.

• Most working-class women had limited opportunities due to lack of education and attitudes about ‘men’s work’

Conclusion

• Improvements in women’s status by 1918 were limited and uneven, as marriage laws, education and employment opportunities mainly benefited wealthier women, while working-class women saw little lasting change.

• Political rights expanded, but female suffrage remained restricted to older, property-owning women, meaning many were still disadvantaged compared to men, for whom voting was a right rather than a privilege.

• Overall, although there was some progress, continued male dominance, persistent social attitudes and unequal access to reforms mean women’s status had not significantly improved by 1918.