Despite strong competition for viewers from EUFA Euro 2020, the Brindle Historical Society managed to attract 14 on-line viewers to hear their talk on Votes for Women, presented by Eric Pickles through Zoom on Monday 21st June. The society were unsure whether social distancing rules would prevent a ‘live’ talk in the Community Hall on this date, so they played safe and organised another Zoom presentation.
This excellent presentation, supported by high quality photographs and illustrations which brought the talk to life, explained how, as recently as a century ago, adult suffrage (the right to vote in political elections) was still not fully afforded to both genders. Prior to 1882, the speaker explained that women were ‘owned’ by their husbands and had very few rights as individuals. The Married Women’s Property Act 1882 significantly altered English law to allow married women to own and control property in their own right and this started a series of events which led to everyone over 21 having the right to vote, irrespective of gender. However, this change took 46 years and was not easily won, and very many brave women suffered dreadfully fighting for this freedom, which we now see as a universal right.
The women who first campaigned for women’s votes were known as Suffragists who believed in peaceful methods to gain their objective, but in the early 20th century, a new generation of activists emerged who were willing to take a more direct approach. These were known as Suffragettes. Their campaign slogan was ‘Deeds not words’ and Emmeline Pankhurst and her two daughters Sylvia and Christobel were key figures in the movement.
We heard about how the campaigners, although fighting for a common cause, were often in conflict, which appeared to be class based. In 1908, the campaign focus was subtly changed to read ‘Votes for Ladies’, and when Sylvia Pankhurst tried to change the movement back to its working class roots, she was expelled from the movement by her own sister Christobel.
Many women were imprisoned for their activities, and as a protest of this injustice, many went on hunger strike. We heard awful tales of women being force fed by their jailers, some even dying from the treatment they received. There was a movement against force feeding, and an amnesty was granted in 1914. Indeed, at the outbreak of the Great War, both sides suspended their activities, yet continued campaigning.
In 1918, only 60% of men (and no women) had the vote. The law excluded the poorest in society, which included many soldiers returning from fighting for their country. In addition, during the war women had begun taking on previously ‘male’ roles, and so a proposal to allow all men over 21 and women over 30 to have the right to vote was passed in 1918. It took a further decade before everyone over 21 had equal voting rights.
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