This provides your essay with a clear, structured argument. In 1918, the Representation of the People Act gave women over 30 the vote, if they owned property or were married to a property owner. The major reason for women receiving the vote has been a fundamental source of debate amongst historians. Whilst traditional schools of thought argue that women’s work during WWI radically changed male ideas about their role in society with traditional historians such as Ray suggesting that giving women the vote in 1918 was almost a ‘thank you’ for their efforts, revisionist historians, however, find this analysis too simplistic. AJP Taylor, for example, argues that the war ‘smoothed the way for democracy’ and so there are other factors of significance, such as, suffrage campaign groups (WSPU & NUWSS) and growing equality with men.
The peaceful campaigning of the suffragists’ was a key factor in women receiving the vote. The suffragists’ started the whole route of women gaining the vote; they were the ever moving force behind the movement. However historian Martin Pugh suggests that “Suffragists would probably have done better to have made common cause with all unenfranchised men and women from the start and thereby they might have extended their appeal” because all men had not yet received the vote it was argued that women should not receive the franchise when it was not fully given to all men. However there were other contributing factors leading up to 1918 and women gaining the vote. They include the work of the suffragettes’ who caused chaos and grabbed the spotlight away from the suffragists’ after a group of women decided it was time to make a militant stand.
They wanted to protect people’s rights against corruption. They also wanted to fight the evils of industrialisation but without going as far as socialism. They appealed for ‘social justice’ including causes such as women’s suffrage, direct election to the senate and conservation. Some Progressives were pacifists and anti-imperialists but most were strong nationalists. The Progressive wing of the Republican party reunited with the mainstream party in 1916.
When we go back to 19th century that was the time when it was witnessed that the male suffrage was prevailing in a number of countries and women suffrage was not there and somehow it ignited a spark among women to fight for themselves and for their rights so that they could be treated as humans and not as animals. In the year 1893, women were able to achieve equal voting rights at national level in New Zealand. The same pattern was followed in Australia in 1902. However, in America, England and Canada women could achieve same voting rights only after the First World War ended. Then came into being the famous movement called The Suffrage Movement during which the women fought for their equal voting rights which all men were enjoying at that time because they were of the view that they were a part of the society too and they deserve all the rights to elect their representatives.
Modernization throughout the time period is a factor of the advancement of civil rights for women since separate spheres, which was an ideology where men belonged in the public sphere that refers to the world of politics, economy and law. Where as women belonged in the private sphere where it included domestic work, child caring, housekeeping and religious education. Some Women did go against the ideology by working in a men dominated environment e.g. Politics. Activism by women was not the most important factor in advancing civil rights in certain issues and it would disagree with the judgment.
Steven Buechler presents a comprehensive analysis of the role of organizations in advancing the cause of the woman suffrage movement (1866 - 1920) and the modern women’s movement. While the early movement was primarily a struggle to gain the right to vote, the contemporary movement has focused on equal rights in every sphere of life. Although large and prominent women’s national organizations such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in the suffrage movement and the National Organization for Women (NOW) in the contemporary women’s movement possessed the resources and the organization skills to lobby the government, they were often estranged from the daily needs of women from minority races and working class. In both
As we might say today, women’s ‘public image’ changed and improved,” says Constance Rover, a historian. Part of the reason why the war was key to women gaining the vote in 1918, was because of changing opinions towards women. “Surely a land fit for heroes to live in might include a place for a few heroines as well?” says Constance Rover. Women had proved themselves useful which was leading to greater equality with men. It would have been simply unreasonable to deny women the right to vote, especially now that women had more of a presence in society.
Constitution that allowed them a right to vote. The early suffragists did not see the voting privileges as their primary goal; instead they wanted suffrage as an opportunity to participate more fully in the public affairs of the society that they lived in. The long road that the women went on to get the suffrage movement passed taught them how democracy could be a great thing and how they could employ it. They learned many skills and gained the political credentials that would make them effective and laid the foundation for the increasing role they would play in our
While Wollstonecraft talks about co-education, one can infer that women are at least educated on a basic level. Pizan lives in a society where royalty is still prevalent and societies’ thinking is very narrow. The era that Pizan lives in is very uneducated and women are looked as not having a life unless it benefits the man. Although Wollstonecraft parallels to that in a way, one can tell that women have a greater importance in her time period. Many debates have happened whether or not these women approach feminism for their time period.
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union. However, after former and then active members of the movement began to reclaim the word, the term became a label without negative connotations. It derives from the term "suffragist," which proponents of women's "suffrage," or right to vote, originally adopted. They wanted to be involved in the running of the country and they wanted to be treated as equals to men. The main thing the suffragettes pretested about was the fact that only men could vote.