women essay

• New Zealand gave the vote to women

  1893
• Australia gave women the vote

  1902
• Finland gave women the vote

  1906
• Denmark gave women the vote

  1915
• Some American states had given women the vote

  1917
• Examples of other countries giving women the vote

  Helped some women get the vote in Britain in 1918
• Britain did not want to appear to the rest of the world as having a backward political system


  This helped some women get the vote in Britain in 1918
• No disasters had happened in the countries that had given women the vote


  This helped some women get the vote in Britain in 1918
• Examples of other countries giving women the vote

  Did not help some women get the vote in 1918 as most British politicians would not have been influenced by other countries
• Suffragettes


  Helped some women get the vote in 1918
• WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union)


  Set up in 1903, led by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Sylvia and Christabel
• The WSPU was set up as they were frustrated with the lack of progress achieved by the NUWSS (National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies)
• WSPU motto


  Deeds not words - they wouldn't speak to people but would carry out different actions
• Tactics used by the suffragettes

  • Window smashing
  • Campaigning against government buildings
  • Attacking post boxes with acid so letters would be destroyed
  • Chaining themselves to railings
  • Pouring acid on golf courses
• The suffragettes' violent tactics


  Created massive publicity, especially with the national press becoming interested in their cause
• The suffragettes' violent tactics

  Alienated the public and lost them sympathy, especially from MPs
• The most important reason for some women achieving the vote in 1918 was the role of the Suffragettes because their demonstrations made the government take notice of the issue of votes for women
• Suffragists


  Helped some women gain the vote in 1918
• NUWSS (National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies)

  • Set up in 1897
  • Leader was Millicent Fawcett
  • Believed in using peaceful tactics
  • Worked with the law using peaceful tactics
• Tactics used by the suffragists

  1. Trying to persuade and educate

  2. Sent letters and articles to newspapers

  3. Held meetings
• Suffragists' peaceful, persuasive methods

  Showed they were trustworthy and responsible enough for the vote
• Holton: 'The suffragists were vital in women winning the vote'
• Suffragists were necessary to women getting the vote
• Suffragists were often seen as too moderate with their tactics


  They never really managed to create great publicity for the cause
• The suffragists are often seen as being a middle class organisation as very few working class women joined
• The role of the Suffragists was important in helping some women gain the vote in 1918


  They had peaceful methods that tried to turn politicians to the movement
• The suffragette movement was more important

  It showed that women weren't going to back down from fighting for what they deserved
• The role that women played during WW1

  Helped some women get the vote in 1918
• Jobs that women took on during WW1


  • Key reason that led to them gaining the vote
• The suffragists and suffragettes supported the war effort
• The WSPU (women's social and political union) stopped their campaigning during the war and the government released all WSPU ( women's social and political union) prisoners
• Jobs women took on during WW1

  • Working in munitions factories
  • Working as conductors on trains and buses
  • Working on farms
  • Working on docks
  • Working in the police
• The war effort helped some women gain the vote


  As a 'thank you for the valuable work done during WW1 which won them respect and balanced the negative publicity of the pre war suffragette campaign
• The war effort did not play a key role in gaining some women the vote

  The majority of women in munition factories didn't get the vote as they were working class and they were very young