The Suffragettes …

VOCABULARY

The fight for gender equality has always been a difficult one as women have always had to fight for their rights. Take the right to vote, for example, something we now all take for granted. Unfortunately, as I am still a British citizen, hold a British passport and have been living outside of Britain for more than fifteen years, I am not entitled to vote – neither in England nor in Austria. I find this rather sad when I think of what my ancestors went through so that women could vote.

Last Tuesday, 6 February, marked one hundred years since women won the right to vote in Britain. On 6 February,1918, the Representative of the People Act was passed and women, who were householders and over the age of 30, were given this democratic right. However, this was no easy achievement as hundreds of women went on hunger strikes, were disowned by their families and faced violence at home to achieve their goal – the right to vote. One hundred years ago men in Britain were allowed to vote from the age of 21, while women had to fight for another ten years until the Equal Franchise Act was passed, in 1928, allowing all women from the age of 21 this right.

This was all thanks to a group of very brave women who called themselves the suffragettes. The suffragettes were led by Emmeline Pankhurst who helped to found the Women’s Social and Political Union which campaigned for women’s rights. Emmeline, and more than 1300 suffragettes, were often arrested for organising demonstrations which sometimes turned violent. They went on hunger strikes in prison and were force fed in a horrible way. It was due to the outbreak of World War I, that Emmeline decided to focus her attention on helping the war effort and encouraged the other members to do the same. During the war women took up the work that was previously done by men, which changed people’s attitude towards women and, in 1918, the law was passed that allowed some women the right to vote. Unfortunately, Emmeline Pankhurst died just a few weeks before the second law was passed.

One of the most famous suffragettes was a woman called Emily Wilding Davison. She was a teacher and, in 1906, joined the Women’s Social and Political Union. Many suffragettes felt that to get their cause noticed, they needed to be extreme and break the law. They broke windows and committed arson and, in 1909, Emily threw stones at the Chancellor’s carriage and was sentenced toa month of hard labour in prison. This didn’t put her off though and for the 1911 census, a survey to find out where people live, she broke into the House of Commons and hid in a cupboard. She did this so that when she had to fill in the form stating where she was living, she could mark herself as living in the House of Commons. She truly hoped that this would give her the same political rights as men. Unfortunately, this failed, and she was killed when she walked in front of the King’s horse, at the Epsom Derby, in 1913, whilst carrying a "Votes for Women" scarf. Many people thought that she had done this on purpose to highlight her cause, but recent research shows that it could have been an accident when she tried to tie the scarf onto the King’s horse.

Many celebrations will take place in Britain to remember the bravery of the suffragettes. Theresa May gave a speech about the heroism of these women and expressed how she, or indeed Margaret Thatcher, would never have had a chance of entering politics a century ago. There are also campaigns to pardon the suffragettes who were arrested, and to give an official apology for the persecution they suffered. One hundred years later, women are still fighting for equal rights! gender equality – Gleichberechtigung der Geschlechter right to vote – Wahlrecht to take for granted – für selbstverständlich nehmen entitled – berechtigt ancestors – Vorfahren to mark sth. – etw. begehen to pass a law – ein Gesetz beschließen householder – Hauseigentümer achievement – Leistung to disown – verstoßen to face violence – der Gewalt ausgesetzt sein brave – heldenhaft suffragette – Frauenrechtlerin to lead – führen arrested – festgenommen to force feed – zwangsernähren due to – wegen attention – Aufmerksamkeit war effort – Kriegsanstrengungen to encourage – ermutigen previously – vorher attitude – Einstellung to commit arson – Brandstiftung verüben sentenced – verurteilt hard labour – Zwangsarbeit to put sbd. off – jmd. abschrecken to break into – einbrechen to hide in a cupboard – sich im Schrank verstecken to state – angeben to fail – scheitern scarf – Schal on purpose – absichtlich heroism – Heldentum to pardon – begnadigen apology – Entschuldigung to suffer – leiden