New
New
Year 9
The contribution of women during WW1
I can explain that women's contributions during the First World War were a crucial turning point in the campaign for women's suffrage.
New
New
Year 9
The contribution of women during WW1
I can explain that women's contributions during the First World War were a crucial turning point in the campaign for women's suffrage.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- War broke out in Europe in 1914, causing the suffrage campaign to be suspended.
- Women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers during the war to replace men who had gone to fight.
- Women's contributions to the war effort strengthened the campaign for women's suffrage.
- The 1918 Representation of the People Act gave the vote to all men and married women aged over 30.
- In 1928, the Equal Franchise Act gave votes to everyone aged 21 or older, including women.
Keywords
Suffrage - the right to vote
Unprecedented - never known or done before
Franchise - the ability to vote
Common misconception
The belief that all women supported the war, and that women were immediately involved in war work from 1914.
Some women were pacifists and did not support the war effort. Women were only brought into the workforce from 1916 due to labour shortages.
Ask pupils to recall prior learning on attitudes towards women and how these were still evident in attitudes to women's war work and in the granting of the vote only to women over 30.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Put the following events in chronological order.
Q2.
Which keyword describes a prolonged refusal to eat, carried out in protest by a prisoner?
Q3.
Complete the sentence: Emily threw herself in front of King George V's horse in 1913 at the Epsom Derby and died a few days later.
Q4.
Why did the suffragettes call the 1913 law which allowed for the temporary release of suffragettes on hunger strike the Cat and Mouse Act?
because the process was like a cat (suffragette) chasing a mouse (government)
because the process was like a cat (public) chasing a mouse (suffragette)
Q5.
Which of the following were reasons why the suffragettes began using increasingly violent tactics following 1912?
Emmeline Pankhurst and Annie Besant called on members to use more violence.
Some moderate, middle-class suffragettes wanted to start a workers' revolution.
Q6.
How many women were arrested and imprisoned during the suffragette campaign from 1906-1914?
around 1500
around 150
around 130
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
the right to vote
the ability to vote
never known or done before
Q2.
Which of the following happened when World War One broke out in 1914?
The suffragettes suspended their peaceful campaign and joined the war effort.
The suffragists suspended their violent tactics and many joined the war effort.
Q3.
What did the WSPU organise in 1915 to push for an increased role for women in the war effort?
a campaign of chaining themselves to railings
a protest march called ‘the Right to Help’
an arson and vandalism campaign
Q4.
Which of the following did women not do during WW1?
work on farms
work in a munitions factory
work as nurses
Q5.
Complete the sentence by adding the correct year: The Representation of the People Act gave the vote to all men and married women aged over 30.
Q6.
Complete the sentence by adding the correct year: In , the Equal Franchise Act gave votes to everyone aged 21 or older, including women.
Additional material
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