idea that these women would act as ‘moral guardians’ to the younger, working -class
women represents the control continually sought over women, and limits the liberation and independence they might have experienced. 19 As Jane Cox discussed from her experiences these ‘overseers’ could be very strict, but friendly familial connections could improve the working relationship. 20 Class differences were
enshrined in women’s war work and entrenched within electoral legislation. The
property qualifications imposed by the Representation of the People Act maintained the class structure existent within British society. 21 Whilst women’s suffrage is a radical first step, the context it exists within is one of an elitist political system determined to maintain its dominance and preserve its stability. 22 The middle and
upper-class women who acted as superiors were enfranchised. A smaller
enfranchisement of the female population ensured stability to the political system.
Enfranchisement in 1918 granted approximately six million women the opportunity to vote. 23 The property clause undermines the traditional interpretation as it
demonstrates it neglects the reality of working-class women and focuses on the
unified national narrative. Most working-class women took up war work out of
necessity, whether influenced by patriotic duty or not, indicating the poor economic conditions they faced. 24 The women who most directly contributed to the war effort,
regardless of their reasons, were not enfranchised. Thus, the correlation between
mobilisation and suffrage is weak and based upon male perceptions rather than
women’s reality.
Women’s claims to citizenship were fundamental to their right to vote. As
Angela Woollacott argued suffrage was the ‘greatest symbolic change’ of women’s lives so this radical transformation required explanation. 25 The direct link between
women’s mobilisation and their enfranchisement assumes that their value as citizens
increased or was proven during the War. Fundamentally, women’s responsibilities as
19 Grayzel, Women and the First World War , p. 35. 20 Cox. 21 Representation of the People Act 1918 (8 Geo 5, c.64) [Online] <https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/suffragettes-on-file/representation-of-the- people-act/> [accessed 25 April 2023]. 22 Bader-Zaar, para. 24. 23 Pugh, p. 371. 24 Grayzel, Women and the First World War , p. 27. 25 Woollacott, p. 188.
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