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Women Before Suffrage

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Women Before Suffrage

Read the short account, then investigate how women campaigned for political rights in Britain. The account focuses on the late 19th and early 20th centuries; Victorian Britain ended in 1901.

A movement for change

For much of the 19th century, women in Britain could not vote in parliamentary elections. Married women also faced legal limits over property and money, while education and careers were harder to access. Women’s lives varied: many working-class women earned wages in factories, shops or homes, while others worked in domestic service or managed households. Campaigners called for women to have the vote. Those who supported women’s suffrage were known as suffragists. The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), led by Millicent Garrett Fawcett, used petitions, meetings and peaceful demonstrations. The Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), founded by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters, became known for more militant action, including window-breaking and hunger strikes. Not all campaigners agreed about tactics. During the First World War (1914–1918), many women took on work that had previously been done by men serving in the armed forces. In 1918, the Representation of the People Act gave the vote to some women aged 30 or over who met property qualifications, and to all men aged 21 or over. In 1928, the voting age for women was made equal to men’s at 21.

1.According to the account, what did the word “suffrage” mean in this campaign?

2.Which statement best describes women’s lives in 19th-century Britain?

All women stayed at home and did not work for wages.
Women’s experiences varied, but they faced legal and social barriers.
Women had the same political rights and career choices as men.
Women could vote in every parliamentary election.

3.Match each campaign group or person to the description. Write the correct letter beside each name.

NUWSS
WSPU
Millicent Garrett Fawcett
Emmeline Pankhurst

C. Campaign group associated with militant action
A. Led the WSPU with her daughters
B. Used petitions, meetings and peaceful demonstrations
D. Leader of the NUWSS

4.Name two peaceful methods used by the NUWSS to campaign for women’s suffrage.

5.True or false: Every campaigner for women’s suffrage agreed that militant action was the best tactic. Use evidence from the account.

TrueFalse

6.Why might some campaigners have chosen petitions and meetings, while others chose more militant action? Give one possible explanation based on the account.

7.Put these events in chronological order by writing 1–3: the 1928 equal voting age; the 1918 Representation of the People Act; the start of the First World War.

8.In 1918, which women gained the right to vote in parliamentary elections?

All women aged 21 and over
Some women aged 30 or over who met property qualifications
Only women who had worked during the war
All women who had signed a petition

9.How did the First World War contribute to changes in attitudes towards women’s political rights? Give one reason, using information from the account.

10.Imagine you are writing a museum caption about the 1928 change. Explain what changed and why it mattered.

11.A campaign leaflet says: “Women’s lives were all the same before the vote.” Is this a reliable summary of the account? Explain your answer using one detail.