Women gained the right to vote in the UK in 1928 due to changing social attitudes towards women's roles and abilities, pressure from suffrage groups using both peaceful and violent tactics, women's contributions during World War 1, and other countries granting women's suffrage. Key factors included women entering the workforce in increasing numbers, the suspension of militant suffragette campaigns during the war to support the war effort, political motivations within the Liberal party to undermine the rising Labour party, and other British dominions granting women the vote earlier. However, the path to women's suffrage was gradual and not all women received equal voting rights in 1918.

3. LEARNING INTENTIONSLEARNING INTENTIONS
• Explain the main reasons that women gained the vote
on the same basis as men in 1928:
• Changing social attitudes
• Male political progress
• Pressure Groups – Peaceful
• Pressure Groups – Violent
• World War One
• Political advantage
• Other countries’ influence

5. Changing attitudesChanging attitudes
Society’s view of women was
beginning to change. More women
were working and they had also
gained more legal rights e.g.
• Infant Custody Act 1873
• Local Government Act 1894
(votes for women in local
elections)
Women were even the main
earner in their houses e.g. mill
workers in Dundee.

6. Influence of WW1Influence of WW1
World War One helped change
attitudes towards women too.
As men were sent overseas to
fight in the war, women did the
jobs left vacant, undermining ideas
they were irresponsible.
Also, the Suffragettes suspended
their violent campaign to support
the war effort.

7. Changing attitudesChanging attitudes
As women gained more legal
rights, this was evidence that
negative social attitudes towards
them were beginning to change.
Women’s war effort – both
working and the Suffragettes
suspending their campaign – also
enhanced the idea that women
were responsible and deserved
the vote.

8. Changing attitudesChanging attitudes
Working women were not a new
phenomenon – they had been at
the heart of the industrial
revolution.
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 at first.

10. Male political progressMale political progress
Men were slowly gaining more
rights in terms of voting:
•Middle class men in 1832
•Skilled working class in 1867 (1/3
of all men)
•More working class in 1884
•(2.3 of all men)
•Eventually all men aged 21+
gained the vote in 1918

11. Male political progressMale political progress
One reason that women had not
gained the vote was that not all
men could vote. However as men
were given the vote in 1918 it
became harder to argue against
women also voting.
Some people also believed that it
was unacceptable for working
class men to vote whilst upper and
middle class women could not.

13. Male political progressMale political progress
However this is not the full picture.
Working class men had gained the
right to vote in 1867, and even
more again in 1884.
If women being allowed to vote
was solely about the class system,
middle and upper class women
would have gained the vote many
years before.

15. Pressure Groups -Pressure Groups -
PeacefulPeaceful
The National Union of Women’s
Suffrage Societies (the
Suffragists, led by Millicent
Fawcett) took part in peaceful
campaigns including meetings,
petitions and parliamentary bills.
They also worked with the new
Labour Party to support the
‘Votes for all’ campaign.

16. Pressure Groups -Pressure Groups -
PeacefulPeaceful
The peaceful protests that the
Suffragists engaged in showed
them to be responsible, supporting
the idea that women should gain
the right to vote.
Peaceful campaigning also won
them support from different
groups, including some male MPs.

17. Pressure Groups -Pressure Groups -
PeacefulPeaceful
Some women had been
campaigning for years (the
NUWSS was formed in 1897 as a
merger of other campaigns)
without success.
A peaceful approach had not
persuaded politicians to give them
the vote. Clear action was needed
to make them listen.

19. Pressure Groups -Pressure Groups -
ViolentViolent
Formed in 1903 the Women’s Social
and Political Union (the
Suffragettes, led by Emmeline
Pankhurst) used extreme and
violent campaign methods.
They used hunger strikes, arson,
and vandalism. In 1913, Emily
Davison died at the Derby after
running in front of the king’s horse).

20. Pressure Groups -Pressure Groups -
ViolentViolent
Unlike the Suffragists, the
Suffragettes violent actions
gained a high profile.
This meant the issue of
women voting was regularly
discussed in newspapers and
parliament, increasing
pressure on the government
to act.

21. Pressure Groups -Pressure Groups -
ViolentViolent
Violent women played into the
stereotype of women being
emotional and incapable of being
trusted to win the vote. This in turn
undermined the Suffragists’
campaign too.
Furthermore the Suffragettes
refused to support Labour’s ‘votes
for all’ campaign.

22. Pressure Groups -Pressure Groups -
ViolentViolent
Events in Ireland also caused
problems. The British
Government, facing violent
rebellion in Ireland, could not be
seen to give in to violence.
Some Suffragettes were not
overly supportive of all women
gaining the vote, only middle and
upper class women.

24. Role of World War 1Role of World War 1
Women played a vital role in the
First World War, including
working in male jobs whilst men
fought overseas, and helping
the war effort, including working
in munitions factories.
Chemicals such as sulphur
turned ‘munitionettes’ skin
yellow, earning them the
nickname ‘canary girls’.

25. Role of World War 1Role of World War 1
Women did a variety of other
important tasks too.
This included becoming bus
conductors, working in various
factories and also becoming
police officers.
In 1915, Edith Smith became
the first policewoman to be
granted power of arrest.

26. Role of World War 1Role of World War 1
WW1 also allowed women’s
pressure groups to demonstrate
a responsible attitude.
The Suffragettes and Suffragists
both suspended their campaigns
at the outbreak of war, arguing
that they could not fight at home
whilst British men were fighting
and dying overseas.

27. Role of World War 1Role of World War 1
Many people argue that women
gaining the vote in 1918 was a
‘thank you’ for their various
wartime efforts.
In addition the decision of the
Suffragettes and Suffragists to
suspend their campaign at the
start of war showed women to
be responsible and deserving of
the vote.

28. Role of World War 1Role of World War 1
Even after the war, not all women
gained the vote. Only those over
30 who were property owners or
married to property owners.
Many of the women who worked in
munitions factories were poor,
single women under 30. They did
not gain the vote in 1918, meaning
that the war is not a clear reason.

30. Political advantagePolitical advantage
For many years the Liberals had
resisted giving women the vote.
The Liberals had rejected various
bills and also passed laws
designed to target Suffragettes,
including the Cat and Mouse Act.
However eventually in 1918 the
Liberal-led government gave some
women the vote.

31. Political advantagePolitical advantage
The Labour Party wanted more
working class people to gain the
vote. This included women so they
worked with the Suffragists to
campaign for ‘votes for all’.
Many people argued that the
Liberals’ belief in giving women
the vote was about undermining
the rise of the new Labour Party,
who they feared losing votes too.

32. Political advantagePolitical advantage
Votes for women became more
likely simply because David Lloyd
George became Prime Minister in
1916, and he was more open to
the idea.
There were also numerous other
social reforms happening at the
times (pensions, etc) so women
voting was just an extension of this
change.

34. Other countriesOther countries
Countries which were members of
the British Empire gave the vote to
women:
• New Zealand, 1893
• Australia, 1902
• Canada (some areas), 1916
British women were also inspired
by suffrage campaigns in other
countries.

35. Other countriesOther countries
The actions of other empire
countries undermined Britain’s
opposition to female suffrage.
They could not be seen as a
leader if other empire countries
led the way on change.
Also, during WW1 Britain said it
was standing up against
tyranny, yet still refused to give
women in their own country the
vote.

36. Other countriesOther countries
As the head of the Empire,
Britain may have been forced
to give women the vote, so
as not to be undermined by
other members.
In addition it can be argued
that other countries (such as
Germany) obviously play a
role in starting World War
One, which itself helps
women gain the vote.

37. Other countriesOther countries
Although other countries gave
women the vote before 1918,
many did not until after Britain.
These included France (1944), the
USA (1920) and Spain (1931).
Also many of the countries that
gave women the vote did so
without conditions – unlike Britain.