How Did World War 1 Change The Role Of Women In British Society

To what extent did the First World War change the role of women in British society?

INTRO

In the lead up to the First World War, the suffrage movement was making significant advances towards the enfranchisement of British women. By 1914, the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) had 52,000 members and attracted annual donations totalling £37,000. Furthermore, the increasingly militant actions of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), attracted greater public attention to women’s suffrage. However, this opportunity for permanent political change was delayed by the outbreak of war in 1914. The leader of the NUWSS, Millicent Fawcett, encouraged women to support the war effort: “Let us show ourselves worthy of citizenship,
The NUWSS, however, was divided in support for the war, and many members left the organisation in order to campaign against the war. Evidently, the war delayed the political progress of British women in many ways. On the other hand, the involvement of women in the war effort countered sexist assumptions by demonstrating the patriotism and capacity of British women. Although vehement opposers to women’s suffrage were uninfluenced, the general public was showing signs of support for women’s enfranchisement. In a letter to Herbert Asquith, Millicent Fawcett wrote that, “The change of tone in the press is most marked... The view has been widely expressed in a great variety of organs of public opinion that the continued exclusion of women from representation will… be an impossibility after the war.” This shift in public opinion was also apparent in the British government. The Speaker’s Conference, a meeting of MPs presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons, was held in 1916 to discuss the urgency of franchise reform. Many servicemen returned from the war to find that they were unable to vote as they no longer qualified as householders; householders were required
The age restriction on women’s voting ensured that men still comprised the majority of the electorate. Soon after, women were granted the right to stand for office as MPs. Although this was critical legislation, very few women were actually elected into office. It is impossible to say whether the war halted women’s political progress at a time when they were on the verge of receiving the vote. The war did divide, and therefore hinder, prominent suffragist organisations. However, the conflict provided women the opportunity to prove their capabilities to those who opposed suffrage. In an extract from the debate on the Representation of the People Bill, Captain O’Neil claimed that his opinion was swayed by the contribution of women to the war effort: “I was opposed to women’s suffrage previous to the War … because of the most unfortunate and disgraceful campaign with which it was urged … I must confess that the general conduct of women during the war … have caused me to change my view.” This admission suggests that the war was far more beneficial to the suffrage campaign than it was detrimental. Prior to the war,