Why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain.
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.
Teacher tip
Students could consider whether long- or short-term factors were more important in delaying votes for women.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
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’?
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...
Q6.In what year was the Equal Franchise Act passed?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which statement best describes attitudes towards the suffrage movement in the mid to late nineteenth century?
Q2.Sexism was a __________ term factor that prevented women from obtaining the vote.
Q3.The __________ government opposed the campaign for female suffrage for much of the early twentieth century.
Q4.Asquith's decision to drop the 1910 Conciliation Bill was a term cause of the delay to female suffrage.
Q5.Which of these best describes the state of the women's suffrage movement in the early twentieth century?
Q6.Which of these events was a turning point in attitudes towards female suffrage?
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Women's suffrage: why did it take so long for women to get the vote in Britain? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.