New
New
Year 9
Why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain
I can explain why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain.
New
New
Year 9
Why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain
I can explain why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Despite the growth in female political participation, sexist attitudes prevailed by the late 19th century.
- Early suffrage campaigns led to a Conciliation Bill; this wasn't passed due to Liberal fears about how women would vote.
- WSPU tactics split the suffrage movement and hurt women's chances of getting the vote as government attitudes hardened.
- WW1 was a turning point in the campaign for women's suffrage due to their war work and the need for a new franchise act.
- A good explanation of why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain will examine long and short term factors.
Keywords
Suffrage - the right to vote
Long-term - occuring over a long period of time
Short-term - occuring over a short period of time
Stereotypes - the expectation people have of a particular type of person
Sexism - prejudice or discrimination, often against women, on the basis of sex
Common misconception
The view that it was the work women did to support the war effort which gained them the right to vote.
Many people were convinced women should be entitled to vote before 1914; however, the violence of the suffragettes and the interruption of WW1 delayed this.
Students could consider whether long- or short-term factors were more important in delaying votes for women.
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 (2024), 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.
is the right to vote.
Q2.
When war broke out in 1914, the suffragettes and suffragists suspended their and joined the war effort.
Q3.
In what year did the WSPU organise a protest march called ‘the Right to Serve’?
1914
1916
1917
1918
Q4.
Despite being employed in the armed forces during WW1, women could not...
Q5.
The 1918 Representation of the People Act gave the vote to...
men with property
all women
Q6.
In what year was the Equal Franchise Act passed?
1921
1925
1931
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which statement best describes attitudes towards the suffrage movement in the mid to late nineteenth century?
A great many men supported it, with only a minority opposing it.
All men opposed it.
All men supported it.
Q2.
Sexism was a __________ term factor that prevented women from obtaining the vote.
short
medium
Q3.
The __________ government opposed the campaign for female suffrage for much of the early twentieth century.
Labour
Conservative
Q4.
Asquith's decision to drop the 1910 Conciliation Bill was a term cause of the delay to female suffrage.
medium
long
Q5.
Which of these best describes the state of the women's suffrage movement in the early twentieth century?
Triumphant
Successful
Unified
Q6.
Which of these events was a turning point in attitudes towards female suffrage?
The creation of the WSPU
The dropping of the Cnciliation Bill in 1910
Emily Davison's death in 1913
Additional material
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