Why were Women Granted the Vote?

Votes for Women!

On February 6th 1918 the government passed the Representation of the People Act which gave women with property over 30 the right to vote. The next day The Guardian newspaper ran an article in which it said:

"The adoption of women's suffrage is the signal victory of an electoral struggle stretching over two generations and represents the greatest triumph in our day of a generous good sense" (Guardian, 2012).

Christabel Pankhurst in 1918 (Huffingtonpost, 2013)

It is widely believed that it was women's effort during the war which finally persuaded the government to give them the vote. Not all people believed this to be the case though. Christabel Pankhurst thought it more likely that the government was fearful of renewed hostilities on the home front (Purvis, 1995). Recently more historians have come to believe that there is truth to this, overturning the long-held view that their contribution had been more hindrance than help.

There are also a number of political factors that may have helped. Midway through the war with a general election looming the government found itself facing a problem. Under the existing system then men who were away fighting at the front would not fulfill the necessary criteria to be voters as they had not been resident in England for the 12 months preceding the election. As a result an all-party committee drawn from the Houses of Lords and Commons was set up to try and address the problem. Women's suffrage campaigners who had been patriotically biding their time and quietly campaigning saw their chance and began more loudly asking for their requests to be included for consideration in any electoral reforms (Willis, 2006). Foremost among those lobbying were Millicent Fawcett and the NUWSS. 

Dodging the bullet?

 

While it was undoubtedly a victory of sorts there is an argument to say that this was a limited victory (Turner, 2003), given the qualification that it was only granted to women over 30. At the same time as granting votes to a minority of women, the franchise for men was extended to include all adult (In 1918 those over 21) men provided they had been resident in one place for 6 months. Ironically, the majority of women who had been most active in the war effort were still excluded from the franchise (Willis, 2006). By agreeing to limited emancipation, the all-male government of wartime Britain had managed to maintain a male dominated electorate in a society with a larger female population (Turner, 2003).

Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 

Incongruously this act was passed later the same year allowed women over 21 to stand as Members of Parliament (Gaye and Cracknell, n.d) though the same condition would not be extended to the franchise until the passing of the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928.

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The Role of Women in the First World War as an explanation for Female Enfranchisement

Women and Work

When war erupted across Europe in 1914  both Suffragette and Suffragist leaders called on their supporters to cease overt activities and support the rest of the country in the war effort. With extra production needed and many of the men who had traditionally been involved in these industries away fighting there was a shortage of workers (Willis, 2006). Both anxious to aid the country but not blind to opportunity, many of the women's suffrage societies backed the government in recruiting women to fill the resulting gaps. This did not happen immediately though. Many women found their offers to help rejected as men were at once dismissive of women's ability to do 'their' jobs and fearful of what might happen if it proved they could (Turner, 2003). Resentment to women in the workplace continued throughout with employers concerned that they might have to offer equal pay and trade unions fearful that women might take their members jobs. Most men rejected the idea that women deserved equal status in the workplace and feared the seemingly inevitable domestic change. As a result the Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act 1919 was passed to help ensure that things would return 'normal' (Purvis, 1995).

Women and War  

Many women wanted to help and be seen helping the war effort in an even more visible way. Doctors Louisa Garret Anderson (whom you may remember was the first British female doctor) and  Flora Murray were determined to do military work. Knowing that their offers of assistance were unlikely to receive more than lip-service by the British authorities they went directly to the French and found themselves on the way to Paris as early as September 1914. As the war progressed and the fighting got bloodier more and more women found their offers of assistance accepted and then welcomed in ever varying roles. By the end of the war there were a number of ways women could enter service (Turner, 2003) including:

• ·        Voluntary Aid Detachments
• ·        First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
• ·        Women's Army Auxiliary Corps
• ·        Women's Royal Naval Service
• ·        Women's Royal Air Force

A Time for Change

It was estimated that there were around 700,000 women involved in the highly dangerous munitions industry and as many as 200,000 employed in government administration roles that would not have been previously available to them (Simkin, 2014). Despite many of the positions not being on a parity with those of men in terms of pay or workplace rights no-one could deny their contribution was invaluable. It was clear that it was going to be a hard job continuing to deny women the vote after the war. Who could argue that it was reasonable to allow women the right to die for their country and yet have no choice in how it was to be governed.