P14: Female Emancipation 1886 - 1914

Asquith

Gov exhausted after constitutional crisis, but further problems caused unrest.

Asquith showed he did not have the stomach for war + handling of these crises

nicknamed “wait and see Asquith” with his reluctance to make decisions

Women suffrage

1869 women could vote local councils and 1870 could be elected for school boards

1907 could sit on local councils

many women wanted the right to vote in a parliamentary election + rights for women MPs

• ppl saw this as unfeminine for women involved in politics or they don’t have the capacity to understand it

• Liberals also feared that many women would vote conservative e.g. if given a property qualification, then only middle class women, which would be conservative support

• only 40% of men could currently vote also

delays in the matter led to suffragist and suffragette movement

(NSWS) National society for Women’s Suffrage

formed in 1868, amalgam of small groups

-was split with some members wanted affiliation with Liberal party

Suffragist - NUWSS 1897

National union of Women’s suffrage society formed by Millicent Fawcett with mainly middle class membership

re-united the NSWS and added new groups

-used peaceful methods of pamphlets, petitions and meetings

(WSPU) Suffragettes 1903

Women’s social and political union formed by Emmeline Pankhurst.

Mainly middle class membership, but also had working class members

“Deeds not words” - increasingly militant, when Liberals didn’t give Parliament time to women’s votes

-felt non-militant of the suffragist failed using methods of :

• heckling government ministers, assaulting politicians, destroy paintings and shop windows, arson on post boxes

-Emily Davidson horse incident 1913 at Epsom derby

Issues facing women

-women largely dependant on husband or father

-divorce was more difficult for women than men until 1924

-before 1882 Married women’s property act, husbands had automatic right to claim wives property

-not many women want onto further education

-seen as a cheap labour force

-no vote or can’t be MPS

Opposition to female suffrage

-seen as emotional and fragile

-worried side they would vote if only upper and middle class women got vote

-1905 Hardie put a private members bill for women vote but failed, exposing the lack for this

-women in majority and fears of swamping male votes

Why they became more militant

-peaceful methods ineffective

-rejection of the private members bill in election 1905 + 1907 and 1904 petition

1910 conciliation bill

compromise solution, giving 1m women the vote, of those with households

this suspended suffragette activity

-Asquith didn’t deliver on the bill as he opposed female suffrage, but LG and many in Labour party favoured. Suffragettes became more extreme

1912

gov accepted principle of female suffrage and made changes to Plural voting bill, but got rejected.

created a “wild period” between 1912-13 where they became more militant

Asquith got assaulted and LG home got bombed

-gov toughened their response by arresting Suffragettes, and Pankhurst got 3 year sentence for LG bombing

Hunger strikes + Cat and Mouse act 1913

when arrested they went on hunger strikes, claiming they were political prisoners

-to avoid them dying in prisons and creating a martyr, they released those who refused to eat and re-arrested them when they had recovered, so reduced number of force feedings.

Impact of Suffragettes

-kept women suffrage in the public mind

-made some agree with their cause

militant actions alienated ppl and the violence showed they were unfit to vote

lack of pop support ment that gov can resist the movement

war outbreak led to Emmeline Pankhurst to stop campaign - “right to serve”, working in factories, which improved their image

-Asquith would not give on the issue of female suffrage, damaging the Liberals, as claimed they were a party of principle. but didn’t see women suffrage as their moral standing

Women in society during war

August 1914, suffragist and suffragettes agreed to support war - “right to serve”.

10th August, gov agreed to release suffragettes from prison

war accelerated changes to position of women in society, with men leaving for war, so 1m women entered in wartime. 1918 2 mil women in workforce, meeting the munition demand

fashion change to short skirts and hairstyles

women also still responsible for bringing up children and looking after the sick

1919 Sex disqualification act

opened up civil service, local gov and jury services for women

TUs

often didn’t cater for women in 1914, and were hostile to them, but unions ha to deal with the issue due to enrolment into the war

-increase in women workers seen as temp, and post 1918 many returned to old jobs or home, and made an agreement with unions to give up employment for returning men

opinion

actions during the war and reduced militance won opinion of Asquith

-proved they were not weak

-the abandonment of the campaign of suffrage increased the respect for the movement

• women who worked during the war usually worked prior to it, and most working in munitions were too young to benefit from gaining the vote

Representation of the People act 1918

women over 30 gained the vote if married to a householder

1928 - all women given vote aged 21

-potentially the war delayed women getting the vote, with the libs accepting the principle pre war

Political impact

-few women were selected as parliamentary candidates + fewer MPs

-women voters weren’t radical but more moderate