A bit of History: Votes for Women in Britain

Had things changed for the better for women between 1850 and 1900?

In other words, was it a 'Golden Age' for the women of Britain? Well, there were good news and bad news:

• London and Manchester Universities now accepted women
• New employment opportunities like teaching and nursing were available
• Women could bring divorce cases against their husbands for cruelty. desertion and bigamy (being married to more than one person at the same time) except adultery if it cannot be proved.
•  Women could now keep their own property after marriage
• Women would lose all rights over her children after a divorce
• Women had to resign after being married from their jobs (this is just so sexist- people thought a married woman with a job was keeping a man out of work and would not be able to look after her family properly.)
• Women were paid a lot less than men (this is still the case but the difference in pay is not as great). 
• Women could not vote

The last point mentioned above became a major, hotly-debated issue between 1900 and 1914 though women had already began to raise awareness of the Women's Suffrage (right to vote) before the 20th century by various campaigns across the country. 

Women had strong opinions about the whole issue:

Votes for Women

FOR	AGAINST
It was a way of getting rid of inequality within other aspects of a woman’s livelihood.	Women and men have separate spheres – they’re ‘guided more by their womb than their brain’, suggesting they were too emotional and credulous to make decisions.
To change the sexual behaviour of men by reducing prostitution.	It was believed that only a minority of ‘frustrated spinsters’ wanted the vote.
Other countries like USA and New Zealand had already given women the vote.	Women could still be active citizens without the vote.
Many women, despite being teachers, doctors and owners of land, could not vote even when illiterate working class men could.	Women are meant be represented by their husbands.
Britain could not be considered a true democracy if over half its population could not vote.	Women do not fight for their country so did not deserve the vote.

What is the message of this cartoon? 

The Dignity of the Franchise, taken from Punch, 1905

Summary:

• It shows a working class man heading off to the polling station to vote.
• His manner suggests that some men were strongly against women voting.
• It illustrates the idea that even literate and wealthy women were considered to be beneath illiterate and crude working-class men just because they were women.
• 'When it comes to votin', you must leave it to us men!' suggests that regardless of a woman's social status, she still cannot be equal to men as they don't have the right to vote. It highlights the need for women to get the vote in order to eliminate the social injustices.
• The 'Franchise' is ironically given to the undignified man instead of the dignified woman, which supposes that the reason for not giving women the vote is invalid. 

(to be continued)