Beyond the Ballot: Women’s Rights and Suffrage from 1866 to Today
Explore the remarkable story of women’s rights and campaign for the vote
6th February 2018 marked the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, the piece of legislation which extended the vote to (some) women for the first time. 14th December 2018 marked the centenary of the first election in which women could then exercise their vote.
Discover how the vote was won, the nineteenth century background to the campaign and what happened next with Dr Claire Kennan from Royal Holloway and experts from the UK Parliament, The National Archives and the Women’s Library at the LSE.
What topics will you cover?
Guided by Dr Claire Kennan from Royal Holloway, University of London, this course examines:
- The myth and reality of women’s experience of the nineteenth century through literature, art, work and the law;
- The case studies of four pioneering women whose campaigns for issues other than the vote laid the foundation for the women’s suffrage campaign;
- The movements and milestones in campaigning for votes for women;
- The impact of the First World War and the passage of the 1918 Representation of the People Act;
- The campaign for equality after 1918 and the impact of the first women MPs;
- The relationship between protest and political change and how Suffragette militancy would be regarded today.
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