Gendering the Nation Online Museum Exhibit
Created by the class of HIST 465 (Topics in Women's History) 2015-16
Queens University, Canada
The Support of Men in Britain’s Suffrage Movement
This section of the museum exhibit is focused primarily on men’s involvement in the Suffrage Movement in Britain. The artifacts and images I have chosen are primarily from the early twentieth century, and provide insight into the political, economic, and moral reasons men had for either supporting the Suffrage Movement or opposing it. Many of the artifacts demonstrate that male supporters of women’s enfranchisement believed granting women political rights would benefit the country or community as a whole rather than just being advantageous for women. As many of the artifacts and images show, these men believed that it was useful for women to be educated on political matters so that they could contribute to achieving social reform through government, which they believed would help to end bring an end to poverty and the significant division between working class and elites in Britain. Male supporters of the Suffrage Movement also argued that women had a right to political representation because they had issues and grievances that were specific to their sex, which could only be remedied through government intervention. Additionally, new concepts of masculinity that emerged in the Victorian era in Britain influenced some men’s opinions as their was a push to be more respectful of women, and notions of forcing a woman to stay at home and be subservient to her husband were becoming outdated. Finally, the artifacts in this exhibit also demonstrate how men were actively involved in the Movement by organizing political groups, attending protests, and participating in militant action in support of women’s enfranchisement.
This exhibit examines woman’s suffrage movement in Britain from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Essentially, woman’s suffrage was a movement organized by first wave feminists with the goal of achieving political rights for women – most prominently, the right to vote in elections. The Suffrage Movement arguably started as far back as the eighteenth century, when women such as Mary Wollstonecraft began raising a discussion about women’s rights to receive education in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects (1792). In this publication, Wollstonecraft argued that women should be considered equal to men under the law, have the ability to pursue professions outside the home, and be able to vote if she chose. These opinions were quite groundbreaking at the time, and many did not view her work favourably.
What most individuals tend to associate with the Suffrage Movement is the militant action carried out by Suffragists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Militant groups were known to destroy windows, set fire to buildings, and destroy property as a method of protesting the lack of action by the government to grant women the right to vote. Others protested by going on hunger strikes and would sometimes be imprisoned and forcibly fed. Throughout this time period, many political groups emerged in support of women’s enfranchisement. The Women’s Social and Political Union was a group led by Emmeline Pankhurst, a British activist and supporter of women’s rights. Pankhurst was able to justify the militant suffragist techniques by arguing that women would not achieve equality by being law-abiding and patient, and the government would only listen to their demands if they treated the Suffrage Movement as a revolution. Some male politicians would later cite violent militant actions as a way of delegitimizing the concerns of suffragists.
Photo of Frederick Pethick-Lawrence
Frederick Pethick-Lawrence was a British male politician and supporter of the women’s movement who wrote several works arguing in favour of the enfranchisement of women. In Women’s Fight for the Vote (1911), Pethick-Lawrence rebuts many of the contemporary anti-suffragist arguments and provides an explanation as to why allowing women to vote is essential for the betterment of society. Another one of the arguments he brings up throughout his publications is that women have unique grievances to their sex that may only be remedied by making sure women’s choices of politicians are representing their needs. In another one of his publications, Women’s Votes and Wages (1910), Pethick-Lawrence points out that women at this time were paid half as much as their male counterparts, which is unfair because many women did not rely on men to support themselves and others financially. He argues that the wages of women workers may be altered by the power of their vote.
Bain News Service, creator. “Pethick Lawrence”. Photograph. Washington D.C.: Bain News Service, date unknown. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, George Grantham Bain Collection.
John Stuart Mill
The image features a cartoon of John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) who was an English philosopher, economist, civil servant, and supporter of women’s rights. In this cartoon Mill is depicted as a supporter of women’s enfranchisement. Around this time period, Mill became well known for his essay entitled The Subjection of Women (1869), in which he argues that providing women with political and social rights was not only acceptable but also essential for the moral and intellectual improvement of humankind. The Suffrage Movement and the first wave of feminism were arguably still in their early stages when Mill’s work was published, making it quite a groundbreaking piece of literature.
Unnamed artist. “The “Mill”-Ennium”. Illustration. FUN, May 4, 1867. From Mary Evans Picture Library
Photograph of Hugh Franklin
This is a photograph of Hugh A. Franklin, a member of under the Men’s Political Union for Women’s Enfranchisement, a British pro-suffragist group organized by male sympathizers of the Movement. Franklin was also a socialist and part of the Labour Party, and is representative of many male pro-suffragists who were left-leaning in their politics. He is also an example of a male Suffrage supporter who actively participated in militant Suffragist attacks that would eventually lead to his imprisonment.
Photographer Unknown. “Franklin, Hugh”. Postcard. December 31, 1910. Men’s Political Union for Women’s Enfranchisement. From The Women’s Library
A Suffragette’s Home
Those who did not want women to be enfranchised used propaganda throughout the Suffragist Movement to communicate their concerns. Published by the National League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage, “A Suffragette’s Home” is an example of propaganda that demonstrates the fears many held regarding the possible outcomes of women’s enfranchisement. The poster features a man surrounded by neglected children, a disorderly house, and a poster for Votes for Women that suggests his wife is a suffragist. The implication of the photo is that if women are granted the right to vote, they will be too involved with activities outside of the home which will lead them to neglect their duties in the home. The argument the poster makes is representative of contemporary rhetoric regarding Suffragettes and the Suffrage Movement, and many male supporters of suffrage argued that these concerns were simply founded on selfish male notions that women should remain in the house at all times to serve their needs.
John Hassall, “A Suffragette’s Home”. Poster, 1912. From the Museum of London. http://www.heritage-images.com/
Women’s Leader and the Common Cause Cartoon
This is a cartoon from the Women’s Leader and the Common Cause, the official paper of the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship. The cartoon features the arguments made by a number of anti-suffragist men that were supposedly observed by the cartoonist at a polling station. The cartoon demonstrates how notions of masculinity in Victorian Britain were transforming, as the anti-suffragist men who made claims that a woman’s “place is in the home” and that “women haven’t sufficient strength of character” are portrayed in a negative manner as being rude ungentlemanly. During the time period in which this paper was produced, men were expected to be chivalrous and respectful towards women. The cartoonist deliberately portrays men that were against women’s enfranchisement as being disrespectful and brutish, thus implying that men who supported the cause were in fact respectful and courteous of women and therefore met the expectations of contemporary expectations for masculine behaviour.
"The News of the Week." Woman's Leader and The Common Cause I.43 (1910): [585]+. Nineteenth Century Collections Online. Web.
Photo of Male Suffrage Supporter Being Arrested
This photo features a man being arrested by police for participating in the Buckingham Palace protest in 1912. The photo demonstrates how male supporters of the Suffrage Movement were actively involved in the protests and events organized by Suffragists, and did not simply support women’s enfranchisement from the sidelines. Female suffragists had mixed opinions regarding male militant action in this time period because they wanted the Movement to remain woman-focused and woman-led. Some women also feared that male suffragists who supported the movement would use more violent militant tactics than what they necessarily wanted.
Untitled. Hulton Archives/Getty Images. January 1, 1912. From http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/male-suffrage-supporter-is-led-over-the-bridge-at-st-james-news-photo/3281567
An interesting argument that was often used throughout the Suffrage Movement by both those who supported it and those who did not was the concept of biological determinism. Biological determinism was essentially a belief that one’s genes or physical makeup determined a person’s role or rank in society. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, it was still common to believe that the white race was superior to all other races, and were at the “top” of the hierarchy while other races were at the bottom.
Those involved with the Suffrage Movement consisted most prominently of white, middle or upper class women and men, therefore it was not uncommon for pro-suffragist propaganda to include racially charged posters that questioned the viewer as to why certain men were able to vote (i.e. black men, immigrant men, etc.) while white, educated, upper class women were not able to vote. The idea behind this type of propaganda was to emphasize the unfairness of the fact that ‘inferior’ members of society were able to vote while ‘superior’ ones were not. In fact, one of the arguments brought up by both male and female suffragists was that allowing women to be educated in political matters will help to “improve” the race, since mothers will be able to educate their own children on such matters and vote in favour of reforms that will help their own race. Those who opposed the Suffrage Movement also used the argument that biology determined one’s role in society. They argued that because men were physically stronger than women, it was natural for them to be the heads of government.
Women’s Suffrage and the Social Evil
The following document features a transcript of a speech delivered on December 17th, 1907 at the Queen’s Hall, London, by Reginald John Campbell under the auspices of the Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage. Entitled Women’s Suffrage and the Social Evil, the speech outlines the organization’s goals, which include obtaining equal rights and opportunities for women, and to “promote the social and industrial well-being of the community”. Campbell argues women must be given political rights in order to secure their economic status and ensure that they are not financially dependent on men. Like many male supporters of the suffragist movement, he points out that women have issues that are specific to their sex, and that an all male legislature cannot be expected to look out for the interests of the opposite sex. Also, allowing women to vote will bring about important social changes including the end of poverty and unemployment.
Link: http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/sMjm7, Drysdale, Charles Vickery. Why Men Should Help Women in Their Claim for Enfranchisement; the Economic Aspect. London: Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage, n.d. Nineteenth Century Collections.
Why Men Should Help Women in Their Claim for Enfranchisement
Why Men Should Help Women in Their Claim for Enfranchisement: The Economic Aspect is a document written by Charles Vickery Drysdale, a member of the Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage. Like many male supporters of the suffrage movement, he advises that enfranchising women will not only help the female sex, but that it is also in the interests of men themselves, children, and the whole community. In summary, he argues that women must be educated in economic conditions in order to ensure that they receive equal wages to men. In that way, men’s wages will not be in competition with (or at risk of being displaced by) women, who tended to earn half as much as men in the same positions. This document is important because it demonstrates how supporters of female enfranchisement attempted to appeal to men’s individual interests in order to gain political rights for women.
Link: http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/sMjx2, Campbell, Reginald John. Women’s Suffrage and the Social Evil. London: Women’s Freedom League, 1907. Nineteenth Century Collections Online. Web. 18 March 2016
Mr. Lloyd George Buys “Votes for Women”
David Lloyd George was a British Liberal politician and the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This issue of Votes for Women features a report on the occurrence of the politician buying a copy of this particular newspaper. Mr. Lloyd George was a male politician who appeared as though he supported women’s enfranchisement, but paradoxically voted against the Conciliation Bill that would have allowed British women to vote in 1910-1912. Lloyd George’s actions demonstrate how some men in positions of power may have felt conflicted about supporting women’s enfranchisement because they feared that if women had the ability to vote, they would do so primarily in favour of the opposite political party, which would result in a loss of power for themselves.
Link: http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/3B3XGX, "Mr. Lloyd George Buys 'Votes for Women'." Votes for Women II.75 (1909): 1068. Nineteenth Century Collections Online.
"... The legal subordination of one sex to another – is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and that it ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality, admitting no power and privilege on the one side, nor disability on the other."
-John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women (1869)
Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage
This is an editorial by the Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage featured in Women’s Franchise, a pro-suffragist British paper. The piece speaks about the League’s appreciation for the large and diverse membership they have acquired over its four months of existence. The author writes about the successful meetings that the League has held and some of the financial struggles they face. The document shows how male supporters were not simply supporting female suffragists passively from the sidelines, but were in fact actively participating in events hosted by groups such as these.
Link: http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/3BZkiX
"Men's League for Women's Suffrage." Women's Franchise (1907): 9+. Nineteenth Century Collections Online. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.