Women and the vote - Changing social attitudes

2. Changing attitudes
By the early 1900s, many
people’s attitudes and views
towards women were beginning
to change.
This was reflected in new and
improved opportunities that
women often had, including in
jobs and education.
Many new laws showed this too.

3. Legal rights
During the 1800s, women had
gained more legal rights, such as:
• Infant Custody Act 1873. This
gave women the chance to keep
custody of children after divorce.
• Married Women’s Property Act
1882. This let women keep
ownership of their property after
they got married.

4. Legal rights
As women gained more rights in
society, this made it more likely
that they would also eventually
gain the right to vote in national
elections.
Women’s success in getting the
vote in 1918 was simply an
extension of other changes in
laws and opinions that affected
them.

5. Legal rights
However, many men also
resented the growing influence
and rights that women had in
society. There were even anti-
women’s suffrage groups.
This led some of them to argue
that women did not need any
more power or rights,
suggesting it would be wrong
to also give them the vote.

6. Education
Women also increasingly had
more education opportunities.
From 1872, primary education was
compulsory in Scotland for both
boys and girls.
Also, in 1878, the University of
London became the first university
in the UK to offer degrees to
women.

7. Education
As women became more
educated, this undermined
the argument that they
would not understand the
complexities of politics.
Having highly educated
women proved that the
right to vote was one which
should be extended to them
as well as men.

8. Education
It was compulsory for girls to
attend at least primary school
from 1872 – but 40 years on,
women had still not yet
gained the right to vote.
This suggests that
educational achievement was
not the key factor in women’s
suffrage.

9. Local politics
By the early 1900s, women had a
greater local political role.
In 1894, some women gained the
right to vote in local elections (30+,
if they owned property, etc).
Some women even got elected in
local areas. In 1908, Elizabeth
Garrett Anderson became the
first woman to be elected as a
mayor in Britain.

10. Local politics
Women being allowed to
vote in local elections proved
that women took the right to
vote seriously and should
also gain this nationally.
In addition, having elected
female politicians further
proved that women could
understand and effectively
participate in politics.

11. Local politics
Although some women could
vote in local elections, turnout
was often low in these
contests, especially at first.
Not all eligible women
actually registered to vote.
Some people used this as an
argument to show that women
did not truly want to be able
to vote in national elections.

12. Women’s work
Even before World War One,
many women had jobs.
This included in responsible jobs,
such as being nurses or
teachers.
In addition, sometimes women
were the main or only earners in
their homes. For example, this
was sometimes the case for mill
workers in Dundee.

13. Women’s work
Women across the country
were doing important jobs
which were essential to
Britain’s economy and other
services.
This undermined the idea that
women were not capable of
also being trusted with the
right to vote.

14. Changing attitudes
Working women were not new –
they had been at the heart of the
industrial revolution (c.1750s-
1850s). This was almost 200
years before women could vote.
Also many working women did
not actually get the vote in 1918;
under-30s and poorer women
(one of the main groups of
workers) were not included.