Women Before Suffrage

Name:

Date:

📚 Understand what life was like for women before they could vote

Read this text about women's lives in the 1800s:

Life was very different for women 150 years ago. Women could not vote in elections. They could not choose who ran the country. Most women could not go to university or become doctors or lawyers. When a woman got married, her husband controlled all her money and property. Women were expected to stay at home and look after children. They had to obey their fathers and then their husbands. Many people believed women were not clever enough to make important decisions. Most men thought that women and girls were naturally weaker and less capable than males, and that their only purpose was to be wives and mothers. This began to change when brave women started to fight for equal rights.

🔑 Key Vocabulary - Use these words for the activities below:

SUFFRAGE - the right to vote | PROPERTY - things you own | CHILDREN - young people | CLEVER - smart or intelligent | Equal rights - same treatment for everyone

🎯 Part 1: True or False

1. Women could vote 150 years ago.

True

False

2. Most women could become doctors in the 1800s.

True

False

3. Husbands controlled their wives' money.

True

False

4. Women stayed home to look after children.

True

False

5. Women had to obey fathers and husbands.

True

False

6. Most men believed women were naturally weaker than males.

True

False

✏️ Part 2: Fill in the Blanks

Use the key vocabulary words from above:

7. The word _____________ means the right to vote.

8. Many people believed women were not _____________ enough to make important decisions.

9. Women were expected to stay at home and look after _____________.

10. When women got married, their husbands controlled all their money and _____________.

11. Brave women started to fight for _____________ _____________.

📖 Part 3: Reading Comprehension

12. According to the text, what happened to a woman's money when she got married?

13. Name TWO types of jobs that most women could not do in the 1800s:

1. _________________________ 2. _________________________

14. What did most men think was the only purpose for women and girls?

15. Who did women have to obey before they got married?

16. What does the text say began to change women's situation?

🗳️ Part 4: Women's Protest Methods - Matching Activity

Match each protest method with what the women actually did:

Protest Method	What They Did
A. Peaceful marches	1. Set fire to empty buildings and postboxes to get attention
B. Hunger strikes	2. Walked through streets carrying banners and signs demanding votes
C. Chaining to railings	3. Threw stones and hammers at shop windows to cause disruption
D. Breaking windows	4. Refused to eat any food while imprisoned to protest their treatment
E. Arson attacks	5. Used chains and padlocks to attach themselves to government buildings
F. Disrupting meetings	6. Shouted questions and slogans at political speeches and events