- Girls who chose to be educated 'properly' (aka. academics - other than learning domestic duties and music, etc.) were considered unladylike and were often insulted.
- Right to vote was the first step in women having the same rights as men- it gave them a foot in politics.
- Have females been raised to accept unequal treatment?
- Pankhurst recalled her father saying that it was a pity she wasn't born a boy. - Below is a poster from 1912 arguing that women work just as hard as men, if not harder and still receive unfair treatment.
- Contradicting to this is a poster from 1900 reinforcing typical gender roles, showing that women are only interested in material, simple things rather than larger issues of politics.
- 1889: E.P helped form the Women's Franchise League
- 1903: E.P formed WSPU - by 1905 the WSPU lost media interest and hence moved on to more violent methods for publicity
- In a period of eighteen months, E.P endured 10 hunger strikes
- 1917: E.P and daughter Christabel formed Women's Party supporting equal pay, maternity/infant care and changes to marriage laws (whereby women had no legal rights).
- For suffragettes, there was a constant struggle as to whether they should go outside of the law to get what they want (a.k.a. militant methods), or to stay within the boundaries. Those who went outside the law, such as Pankhurst, believed that it was the only way, 'reason and logic have failed' (Adela Pankhurst).
- Women were described as slaves in the 19th Century due to their poor, unfair treatment.
- WSPU began abiding by the law, however were not seeing fruition.
- WSPU motto: 'deeds not words' - motivated them for heavier action - militant actions proved women did not have to stay in traditional place (obedient, submissive, etc.)
- Government promised to support votes for women, however, continually resisted granting them the vote. As a result, WSPU members took more direct action with politicians. They disrupted parliament sittings, held protests outside their homes and even ambushed the ministers while they were playing golf.
- Black Friday: Over 100 women were arrested before the general election of 1910 when members of the WSPU arrived at the House of Commons. Police met them there and a 'violent confrontation' broke out. Suffragettes were pushed to the ground, assaulted and trampled. Many were injured and two women died.
- A counter-movement of anti-suffragettes grew as the supporting movement gained more attention and publicity. The Women's National Anti-Suffrage League was established in 1908. They were against granting the vote to women for the following reasons according to their manifesto:
- 'Spheres' of men and women were naturally different
- Women had no ability to run the modern state
- Women were already able to be politically active in their local council
- Women would become less interested in social cause/charities if granted the vote
- Women voters would outnumber men
- Political disagreements would upset homes
- 'Giving women the vote was dangerous experiment that should not be risked'
- In my opinion, many of the above reasons have nothing to do with women and are mere excuses. For example, political disagreements are bound to occur whether women are granted the vote or not, that is simply politics.
- Derby Day occurred on the 4th of June, 1913. Suffragettes became increasingly militant in their actions and this day is well known for its horrific, desperate acts. A woman named Emily Wilding Davidson threw herself under the king's horse and died four days later. She was hailed at a martyr for this reason.
- World War 1 of 1914 called for an end to the suffragette campaign, or at least a pause. E.P. wanted women to support the government and war effort. By the end of the war, society had changed dramatically; women were working from all classes, women were more independent (leaving home for example) and numbers of divorces rose from 596 (1910) to 1629 (1920).
- To show recognition of women's war service, females over the age of thirty (conditional - if they owned certain amounts of property, graduated from university, etc.) were granted the right to vote in 1918. Below is an image of the first woman voting in 1918.
- Women were finally granted the same rights to vote as men in 1928.
- It can be argued that we take political rights for granted today, especially here in Australia. Are women equal to men today or do we still live in a patriarchal society?
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