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Women's Feelings and Responses

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Women's Feelings and Responses

Read the account below. Then use evidence from it to explore how women felt and responded when they were denied the vote. Feelings can differ, so explain your ideas with evidence.

A campaign for change

In the early 1900s, women in Britain could not vote in parliamentary elections on the same terms as men. Many believed this was unfair: women paid taxes, worked and were affected by laws, yet had little say in choosing the people who made them. Supporters of votes for women organised meetings, wrote letters and petitions, gave speeches and marched in public. Some campaigners joined the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), founded by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903. WSPU members became known as campaigners for women’s suffrage. Some used militant actions, such as disrupting public events, to draw attention to their cause. They could be arrested and imprisoned. Other supporters, often called suffragists, campaigned through peaceful methods. Women’s experiences and feelings were not all the same, but many showed courage and determination. In 1918, some women over 30 gained the vote if they met certain property qualifications. In 1928, women gained the vote on the same terms as men.

1.In the passage, what was one reason women argued that they should have a say in making laws?

Women were affected by laws and paid taxes.
Women had already chosen every Member of Parliament.
Women wanted elections to stop.

2.Match each word to its meaning. Write the correct meaning next to each word.

Suffragette
Petition
Militant

Using forceful or disruptive action to push for change
A woman campaigning for the vote as part of the WSPU
A written request for change, often signed by many people

3.Choose two feelings that some campaigners might have experienced when they were denied the vote, and explain why each feeling makes sense.

4.True or false? Every supporter of votes for women used militant methods.

TrueFalse

5.Complete the sentence using the passage: WSPU members became known as .

6.Name two ways women campaigned for the vote, and explain which one you think would have reached the most people.

7.The passage says some campaigners were arrested and imprisoned. What might they have felt, and what does their response suggest about their commitment?

8.Put these events in order by numbering them 1–3: women over 30 who met certain qualifications gained the vote; women gained the vote on the same terms as men; the WSPU was founded.

9.Write a short message a campaigner might have put on a banner. Then explain how it could express a feeling and encourage people to support the campaign.

10.Explain why it is important to remember that women did not all feel or respond in exactly the same way.