Which methods were most successful in the fight for female suffrage?
I can compare the campaign methods of the Suffragists and Suffragettes and evaluate the impact they had on women's rights.
Which methods were most successful in the fight for female suffrage?
I can compare the campaign methods of the Suffragists and Suffragettes and evaluate the impact they had on women's rights.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), set up by Millicent Fawcett, became known as the Suffragists.
- The Suffragists aimed to gain women's suffrage by consistently pressuring the Government through peaceful campaigning.
- The Women’s Social and Political Union (WPSU) was set up in 1903 and became known as the Suffragettes.
- The Suffragettes used more militant methods in their campaigns.
- Today, women have the same voting rights as men. However, women are not equally represented in Parliament/Government.
Keywords
Suffrage - the right to vote
Suffragists - a group who advocated for women’s suffrage using peaceful methods
Suffragettes - a group who advocated for women’s right to vote using militant methods
Militant - confrontational or violent methods in support of a political or social cause
Common misconception
As women now have the same voting rights as men in the UK, they are equally represented in the Government and Parliament.
This is not the case in the UK. However, as of the 2024 General Election, 40.5% of MPs in the House of Commons are female, which is the highest number ever recorded of female MPs.
Equipment
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
age you can vote in a general election in the UK today
% of men who could vote following the Great Reform Act 1832
the number of people who signed a Chartist petition in 1839
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a group who used peaceful methods to achieve votes for women
a group who used militant methods to achieve votes for women
confrontational or violent methods in support of a cause
the right to vote