society. Furthermore, the differences between women were highlighted through their
war work challenging this single narrative as class structure remained dominant. For
many women it must also be understood that economic necessity was a significant
factor for participating in the war effort. Despite their mobilisation, women's most
valuable responsibility as citizens remained in their abilities to be mothers.
Therefore, many younger women who had worked in the war effort remained
disenfranchised, whereas all men over twenty-one were now eligible to vote. The
experiences of women’s mobilisation into the war effort underline the many
challenges women still faced in society. The lack of universal women’s suffrage
meant they remained a minority voice in politics and relied on men and a patriarchal
system to remedy these ills. Women’s war work was not valued in a way that made
them equal citizens. The beginnings of women’s suffrage were granted due to the
agency demonstrated by the women’s suffrage movement, rather than a male-
dominated society valuing women’s contributions.
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