The battle for women’s right to vote
One hundred years ago, British women were given the vote for the first time. How did it come about?
The first appeals for women’s right to vote in Britain date from the early 19th century. In 1818, in his Plan of Parliamentary Reform, Jeremy Bentham insisted that women should be given the vote. Women at the time had no political rights at all– they were deemed to be represented by their husbands or fathers. The old arguments prevailed. Women, it was said, were mentally less able than men; their “natural sphere” was in the home; they were unable to fight for their country, and thus undeserving of full rights; moreover, they simply didn’t want the vote. This was at least partly true. “I have never felt the want of a vote,” declared Florence Nightingale in 1867, while Queen Victoria condemned the “mad, wicked folly of women’s rights”. Even George Eliot was reluctant to back the cause.
It wasn’t until the second half of the 19th century that the first campaigning women’s groups were formed. Initially they focused on the lack of education, employment opportunities and legal rights for women (married women, at the time, had no independent legal standing); but the question of the vote gradually became central to their demands – both symbolically, as a recognition of women’s rights, and practically, as a means of improving women’s lives.
However, the women’s campaigning was still a subject of debate. While most historians agree that the campaigns were initially very effective in mobilizing women and highlighting injustices, a series of mass processions followed; more than 250,000 women protested in Hyde Park in 1908. Many were arrested and ill-treated; prisoners who went on hunger strike were brutally force-fed. Over time they became steadily more militant – smashing shop windows, setting fire to letter boxes, libraries and even homes. The PM, Herbert Asquith, an opponent of women’s votes, was attacked with a dog whip. Such use of violence was thought, certainly at the time, to have been unfavorable.
With the sacrifices of the First World War strengthening support for widening the right to vote generally, women suspended campaigning. More than a million women were newly employed outside the home --in munitions (军需品) factories, engineering works. Crucially, Asquith was replaced as PM by David Lloyd George, a supporter of votes for women. The Representation of the People Act 1918 was introduced by the coalition government and passed by a majority of 385 to 55, gaining the Royal Assent on 6 February 1918. Women over 30, who were householders or married to one, or university graduates, were given the vote.
43. Which of the following is NOT the reason why women were not qualified to vote?
A.Women were supposed to do housework and serve their husbands. |
B.Women were too weak to fight against enemies. |
C.Women had already enjoyed many political rights. |
D.Women were not as intelligent as men. |
44. According to the passage, why did women’s campaigning arouse debate?
A.Because it failed to mobilize women and emphasize injustices. |
B.Because women were put in prison and abused during the protest. |
C.Because most women didn’t want the vote. |
D.Because all the emotional behaviors were regarded as improper. |
45. The word “militant” (in Line 5, Para.4) probably refers to _______.
A.imposing. | B.extreme. | C.negative. | D.obedient. |
46. What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Women stopped protesting for their vote because they were offered more job opportunities. |
B.The PM, Herbert Asquith, an opponent of women’s votes, committed suicide. |
C.The first campaigning women groups were formed originally for the sake of legal rights. |
D.All women can enjoy their right to vote since the introduction of People Act. |