In August 1914, the fight for the vote in Britain came to a sudden halt. Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel, leaders of the militant suffrage movement, suspended their campaign to support the war effort. Declaring that suffragists could not be pacifists at any price, they took a dramatic step. The union’s newspaper, The Suffragette, was renamed Britannia in October 1915 to reflect its new focus on patriotism. The government granted amnesty to all imprisoned suffragists, and Emmeline toured the nation, urging women to join the workforce. While her daughter Sylvia Pankhurst maintained a pacifist stance with her own breakaway group, the main movement had chosen its side. The fight for the vote was paused; the fight for the nation had begun.
Women in World War One
How WWI changed women's roles, from 'Canary Girls' in factories to the 8.4 million who won the vote in 1918.
The End of the Campaign
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Frequently Asked Questions
Did all women in the UK get the right to vote in 1918?
No. The Representation of the People Act 1918 granted the vote only to women over 30 who met a property qualification, enfranchising about 8.4 million women. Women did not achieve equal voting rights with men until a new act was passed in 1928.
Why were munitionettes called 'Canary Girls'?
They were called 'Canary Girls' because their work with trinitrotoluene (TNT) caused toxic jaundice. This condition turned their skin and hair a distinct yellow color, similar to the feathers of a canary.
What were the Scottish Women's Hospitals?
The Scottish Women's Hospitals were medical units founded by Dr. Elsie Inglis after the British War Office rejected her help. They were staffed entirely by women and operated multiple units across Europe, providing essential surgical care.
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