Hello, thank you for joining me today.

Welcome to another Oak Academy history video.

My name is Mrs. Knox, and I'm here to guide you through everything that you'll need to be successful in the lesson today.

So let's get started.

Today's lesson is part of the unit of work on the women's suffrage movement, where we're asking the question, why did it take so long for women to get the right to vote in Britain? Today's lesson, we'll focus on the contribution of women during the First World War.

And by the end of the lesson, you will be able to explain that women's contributions during the First World War were a crucial turning point in the campaign for women's suffrage.

There are a few key words which will come in handy during today's lesson.

Let's have a look at the vocabulary that you'll need.

The first word is suffrage, which is the right to vote.

The second word is unprecedented, which is something that has never been known or done before.

And the final word is franchise, which is the ability to vote.

Now, our lesson will have three parts, and we'll get started now on part one, which is about the suffrage movement in wartime.

The outbreak of World War I in Europe in 1914 inevitably led the British government to fully focusing on winning the war.

The women's suffrage movement also had to put their campaign to one side as the majority of the movement were keen to support the war effort in any way they could.

There were some notable exceptions amongst the suffrage campaigners, however, such as Sylvia Pankhurst, the daughter of Emily Pankhurst, the founder of the Suffragettes.

She was a pacifist and therefore believed that war was unjustifiable and so did not want to support it in any way.

During World War I, the suffragette suspended their violent activities and volunteered to do war work, whilst the suffragists continue to lobby MPs and also volunteer their services, for example, as ambulance drivers.

In the first year of the war, traditional attitudes to war's women and the belief that they belonged in the home excluded women from playing a full part in the war effort.

The war was viewed as men's business and the government tried to keep life in Britain as normal as possible.

The Women's Social and Political Union, the WSPU, organised a protest march called the "Right to Serve" in 1915 to push for an increased role for women in the war effort.

Around 30,000 women marched in procession through the London streets to show their determination to play their part.

The government wanted unity, not protests, during wartime, and so the march did impact government attitudes.

Can you think of a reason why the government might have been reluctant to allow women to take part in war work? Alright, it's time for a check of your understanding so far.

I'd like you to answer this true or false question.

World War I led to an increase in campaigning for female suffrage.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now, and when you've got your answer, press play.

You should have said that the answer was false.

But why is the answer false? Is it because, A, war broke out in 1914, causing the suffrage campaign to be temporarily suspended, or, B, war broke out in 1914, causing the suffrage campaign to be abandoned? Press pause now, and then press play when you've got your answer.

Well done if you said that the justification that's correct is A.

War broke out in 1914, and this caused the suffrage campaign to be temporarily suspended.

It wasn't abandoned, but it did mean there was a decrease in the campaigning for female suffrage.

It soon became obvious to the government that women could play an important role in Britain's economy.

Women became even more important in 1916 due to the introduction of compulsory military service for men.

Women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers to replace men who had gone to fight.

Although most of the women doing war work were working class, the war also brought women from other social classes into employment for the first time.

The war gave women the opportunity to contribute to society in ways that they had never had the opportunity to before.

This strengthened the suffrage campaign and shows that although the war may have delayed women being given the right to vote, it also gave them a chance to prove their worth to the government and their country.

And on the screen now, you can see some of the details of the Military Service Act of 1916, which led to so many women from different social classes entering the workforce for the first time.

It's time for another quick check of your understanding.

I'd like you to answer this question.

Why did women enter the workforce in unprecedented numbers after 1916? Was it because of, A, the Military Service Act meant women were needed to replace men who were fighting, B, the Military Service Act meant women were forced to undertake war work, or C, the Military Service Act meant that women were offered the vote in exchange for war work? Press pause, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Well done if you said that the answer was A.

Women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers in 1916 because the Military Service Act meant that women were needed to replace men who were fighting.

Okay, it's time to put everything you've learned so far into practise.

I'd like you to answer this question.

Do you agree or disagree with the statement? The main reason that women were recruited to war work was because of the "Right to Serve" march.

Pause the video now, and when you've completed your answer, press play, and we'll see what answer you might have given.

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at what you might have written.

Your answer might have included: I agree that the main reason women were recruited to war work was because of the "Right to Serve" march as the government would've been worried about large scale protests at a time when the nation was at war.

It would be in their interest to unite the country rather than risk the threat of further protests.

Alternatively, you might have disagreed with the statement.

If you did, your answer might look something like this: I disagree that the main reason women were recruited to war work was because of the "Right to Serve" march.

As the government had previously ignored the demands of the suffragettes and the marches carried out by the suffragists.

It is more likely that the government simply realised that there was no choice but to employ women to keep the economy running whilst men were serving in the armed forces.

I hope you got on well with that answer.

It's time now to move on to the second part of our lesson today.

In this section, we'll focus on women's war work.

Women were first recruited to munitions industry.

This involved the manufacturer of ammunition such as shells and bullets, which were needed by the British army.

Filling shells with explosives was dangerous work as it involved exposure to chemicals as well as lifting heavy shells.

However, this was not a new occupation for women as it was a common job for women before World War I.

It did not require much skill and was therefore classed as women's work.

Importantly though, in 1915, the British army experienced a shortage of shells, which made the work of female munitions workers invaluable to the government.

Most of the women who were recruited were young working-class women, although a small number of middle- and upper-class women did have roles as supervisors.

In this poster, which was part of a government campaign, you can see how important the women were to the war effort.

After the 1915 munitions shortage, women were encouraged to do their bit in the munitions factories.

Okay, time to check your understanding.

I'd like you to answer this question.

Why was working in a munitions factory a dangerous job? Press pause, and when you're ready to hear the answer, press play.

You should have said that filling shells with explosives was dangerous work as it involved exposure to chemicals as well as lifting heavy shells.

A second area of work undertaken by women during the First World War was farming.

There was a shortage of male farm workers due to the Military Service Act of 1916, which required all single men between 18 and 41 to serve in the armed forces.

There was also a need to grow more food in Britain as German submarines were blowing up ships importing food.

Female volunteers were referred to as being part of the Land Army.

Posters like the one on the left-hand side of the screen were created by the government showing the importance of female farm roles.

Let's have a check of understanding.

I'd like you to answer this question.

Which two statements below are correct? Is it A, few middle- and upper-class women worked in munitions factories during World War I, B, the vast majority of women were part of the Land Army during World War I, or C, the introduction of compulsory military service for men in 1916 led women to enter the workforce in unprecedented numbers.

Press pause, and when you're ready for the answers, press play.

Well done if you said that A is correct.

Few middle- and upper-class women did work in munitions factories.

It was mainly working-class women.

And the other statement that was correct was C, the introduction of compulsory military service for men in 1916 did lead women to enter the workforce in unprecedented number.

Another important area of female employment during World War I was nursing.

As the number of casualties started to increase, women were asked to volunteer as nurses.

They were part of the Voluntary Aid Detachment, VAD, which set up hospitals both in Britain and abroad to care for wounded soldiers.

Their work could involve dealing with patients with gruesome and serious injuries, and many women were later rewarded for their bravery.

VADs were there to boost the number of professional nurses available to treat casualties and they did not get paid for their work.

It therefore tended to be mainly middle- and upper-class women who served as VADs.

Finally, it is worth noting that some women were employed in the armed forces during World War I, although not in a fighting role.

The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, WAAC, was set up in 1917 to allow women to undertake administrative and mechanical roles that would otherwise have to be done by men.

This freed up more men to join the fighting.

Women in the Air Force groups were also set up.

The WRNS and the WRAFs.

However, these organisations were disbanded after World War I.

Overall, the work undertaken by women during the war allowed women to get involved in occupations that had previously only been available to men.

It gave women a new sense of independence, and their valuable contribution to the war effort won the respect of many within the government and wider society.

This helped to strengthen the campaign for women's suffrage.

Time for a check of your understanding.

I'd like you to think about which of the following students is explaining the impact that women's war work had on support for women's suffrage.

Let's have a look at what they have to say.

First of all, we have Sofia who says, "Women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers during World War I, becoming farmers and nurses." Andeep says, "Women did jobs like nursing, making munitions, and farming during World War 1.

Some of the work was dangerous." Finally, Alex says, "Women's war work could be dangerous so this earned women respect.

As a result, support for female suffrage increased." Have a careful think about which of the student is really explaining the impact of women's war work.

Pause the video now, and when you've got your answer, press play.

You should have said that Alex was the student who's really explaining the impact of women's war work.

He mentioned that women's war work was dangerous and therefore this earned women respect.

The result of this respect was increased support for female suffrage.

Time to put everything you've learned here into practise.

Here's an incorrect statement.

I'd like you to correct the statement by rewriting it using what you've learned.

Let's read the statement.

Women made very little contribution to World War 1 and there was therefore no impact on support for female suffrage.

Press pause now whilst you try to rewrite it correctly, and when you finish, press play.

Welcome back.

Your answer hopefully looks something like this.

You might have said women made an important contribution to World War I, for example, in munitions factories and in farming.

This gained them respect and resulted in an increase in support for female suffrage.

It's time now to move on to the final section of our lesson today.

In the section, we'll have a look at the reasons why women gained the right to vote.

In the summer of 1918, just before the end of World War I, the government passed a law called the Representation of the People Act.

This law granted the vote to all men over the age of 21.

Women over the age of 30 who were householders or married to householders gained the right to vote.

There were now 12.

9 million male voters and eight and a half million female voters in Britain.

Women could also now stand to become Members of Parliament or MPs.

Before we move on, you might want to think about why the government only gave the vote to women over the age of 30.

The first woman to enter parliament was Nancy Astor, who was elected for the conservatives in 1919.

Although Nancy Astor had not been a suffragist or a suffragette, she used her position in parliament to speak up on a range of issues affecting women's lives.

Here's a quick check of your understanding.

Is the answer true or false? There were more female voters than male voters after 1918.

Press pause, and when you've got your answer, press play.

You should have said that the correct answer is false.

Why is the answer false? Is it because only women over 30 who were householders or married to householders could vote or only women over 30 who contributed to the war effort could vote? Press pause, and then press play when you're ready.

That's right.

You should have said the correct justification is A, only women over 30 who were householders or married to householders could vote.

Therefore, there were not more female voters than male voters after 1918.

Members of the suffrage movement saw the change in the franchise as an important step forwards.

However, there was disappointment that younger women had not yet been granted the vote.

After all, many of the women who have contributed to the war effort had been under the age of 30.

A decade later, in 1928, the Equal Franchise Act gave the vote to everyone in Britain age 21 or older, including women.

Women now had equal voting rights with men.

Suffragists such as Millicent Fawcett celebrated what they saw as their victory.

Despite this win, there were still many inequalities that women faced, which would take many more years to be addressed.

Okay, it's time for a check of your understanding.

I'd like you to answer this question.

How old did you have to be to vote in Britain after 1928? Was it A, 30, B, 21, or C, 18? Press pause now, and then press play when you're ready to hear the answer.

Well done if you said that the answer was B, you had to be over the age of 21 to vote after 1928.

Finally, let's put all that you've learned today into practise.

I'd like you to write one paragraph about how women gained the right to vote after 1918.

You might want to include the following details: the Representation of the People Act and the Equal Franchise Act.

For each of them, say when it happened, who it gave the vote to, and how many women gained the franchise as a result.

Press pause now whilst you write your answer, and then press play.

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at what you might have included in your answer.

You might have said that women gained the right to vote after 1918 through the passing of two laws by the government.

The first was passed in 1918 and was called the Representation of the People Act; it gave the vote to married women over the age of 30.

This extended the franchise to 8.

5 million women.

In 1928, another law was passed, the Equal Franchise Act, which meant women now had the same voting rights as men as it gave everyone age 21 or older the right to vote.

We've come to the end of our lesson today.

Let's have a quick summary.

The outbreak of World War I in 1914 led to a temporary halt in the suffrage campaign.

Women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers to replace the men who'd gone to fight in the war.

Through their contribution to the war effort, women strengthened support for female suffrage.

The 1918 Representation of the People Act gave the vote to married women over 30, and then in 1928, the Equal Franchise Act gave women equal voting rights with men.

Thank you for your hard work in our lesson today.

I hope that you feel confident that you've met your learning objective.

I look forward to seeing you in a future video when we'll continue this work on the women's suffrage movement to answer the question: why did it take so long for women to get the right to vote in Britain?.