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Year 8 - Citizenship

Which methods were most successful in the fight for female suffrage?

Why was the struggle for the vote important today?

Unit Summary

Pupils analyse how political rights have changed over time considering important campaigns such as the fight for female suffrage. They examine why voting matters and consider what role they can have in democracy prior to being eligible to vote.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to compare the campaign methods of the Suffragists and Suffragettes and evaluate the impact they had on women's rights.

Key Notes

  • The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), set up by Millicent Fawcett, became known as the Suffragists.
  • The Suffragists aimed to gain women's suffrage by consistently pressuring the Government through peaceful campaigning.
  • The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was set up in 1903 and became known as the Suffragettes.
  • The Suffragettes used more militant methods in their campaigns.
  • Today, women have the same voting rights as men. However, women are not equally represented in Parliament/Government.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • suffrage: the right to vote
  • Suffragists: a group who advocated for women's suffrage using peaceful methods
  • Suffragettes: a group who advocated for women's right to vote using militant methods
  • militant: the use of confrontational or violent methods in support of a political or social cause

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • As women now have the same voting rights as men in the UK, they are equally represented in the Government and Parliament.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), set up by Millicent Fawcett, became known as the Suffragists. The Suffragists aimed to gain women's suffrage by consistently pressuring the Government through peaceful campaigning.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'suffrage'

the right to vote.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: As women now have the same voting rights as men in the UK, they are equally represented in the Government and Parliament. Correction: This is not the case in the UK. However, as of the 2024 General Election, 40.5% of MPs in the House of Commons are female, which is the highest number ever recorded of female MPs.

More Lessons In This Unit

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