A GUID CAUSE...
THE WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE
MOVEMENT IN SCOTLAND
Project 1 / Learning Activity 5 / Activity 2
The effects of World War I
ACTIVITY 2 – THE VOTE AT LAST
In 1918 the Representation of the People Act was passed. This gave most women over 30 years of age the right to vote. In 1928 another Representation of the People Act was passed allowing women over 21 to vote, which made women’s voting rights equal to men. 1. Study Source 48. What does this poster say about jobs and the vote? 2. Study Source 49. What message is being given in this poster about work and the vote? What do these posters tell you about the importance of women’s work during the war as a means of getting the vote? www.nls.uk
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3. Sort the points below into those that helped women gain the vote and those that hindered them from gaining the vote. The Government could not be seen to be giving in to violence and force. Women gained respect due to the work they did during the war. Women gained recognition for the suffrage cause by holding peaceful meetings. Women showed that they were capable of responsible, serious roles due to their work in the war. Women’s militant actions kept the cause in the public eye. Women gained support for the suffrage cause by petitioning. The case for female suffrage lost respect and support due to the damage the suffragettes did to property. Suffragettes’ behaviour was seen to be unseemly and irresponsible – not the qualities of people who deserved the vote. Suffragists wrote letters to persuade people to support the cause. The peaceful campaign had failed; more direct action was required
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Helped women gain the vote Hindered female suffrage www.nls.uk
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Appendix
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SOURCE 48: VOTES FOR WOMEN, 10 DECEMBER, 1915 – CARTOON: WHY
NOT VOTES FOR TWO AS WELL AS JOBS FOR TWO
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SOURCE 48: VOTES FOR WOMEN, 10 DECEMBER, 1915 – CARTOON: WHY
NOT VOTES FOR TWO AS WELL AS JOBS FOR TWO ‘Votes for Women’ was originally the official voice of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). The journal was edited by Emmeline and Frederick Pethick‐Lawrence from 1907 to 1918. Although the Pethick‐Lawrences were expelled from the WSPU in 1912, they continued to edit the newspaper in 1913‐1914 and gradually formed a group of moderate militants around it: the Votes for Women Fellowship. Source: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online edition [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37846, accessed 7 Oct 2009] www.nls.uk
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SOURCE 49: VOTES FOR WOMEN, 20 NOVEMBER 1914 – CARTOON:
HAVING IT BOTH WAYS
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SOURCE 49: VOTES FOR WOMEN, 20 NOVEMBER 1914 – CARTOON:
HAVING IT BOTH WAYS ‘Votes for Women’ was originally the official voice of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). The journal was edited by Emmeline and Frederick Pethick‐Lawrence from 1907 to 1918. Although the Pethick‐Lawrences were expelled from the WSPU in 1912, they continued to edit the newspaper in 1913‐1914 and gradually formed a group of moderate militants around it: the Votes for Women Fellowship. Source: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online edition [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37846, accessed 7 Oct 2009] www.nls.uk
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