Male Political Progress: Women's Suffrage

1. Evolution of Male Voting Rights

• 1832: Middle class men were enfranchised.
• 1867: Skilled working class men gained the right, encompassing 1/3 of all men
• 1884: Expansion to more of the working class, accounting for 2/3 of all men.
• 1918: Universal male suffrage established for all men aged 21+.

2. Influence on Women's Suffrage:

• The expansion of male voting rights raised questions on women's rights.
• With all men gaining suffrage in 1918, it became challenging to argue against enfranchising women.
• Some posited it was incongruous for working-class men to vote while upper and middle-class women couldn't.

3. Debunking the Class System Argument:

• If suffrage was solely based on class, then given the 1867 and 1884 reforms, middle and upper-class women should have been enfranchised earlier.
• Thus, there were broader socio-political reasons, beyond class, influencing women's suffrage.

4. The Conciliation Bills:

• Presented in 1910, 1911, and 1912.
• Aimed to extend voting rights to 1 million property-owning women.
• Despite receiving significant parliamentary support, they showed that even when some men couldn't vote, there was an appetite to enfranchise certain women.
• This counters the argument that male political progress was the predominant factor in the push for women's suffrage.

Conclusion

While the progression of male voting rights undeniably influenced the discourse around women's suffrage, it wasn't the sole determinant. The journey towards women's suffrage was multifaceted, shaped by various societal, political, and legislative factors.