suffragettes

Suffragettes were members of the early 20th‑century women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom and Ireland who advocated for women’s right to vote, often through militant means. The term is most closely associated with the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst and later led by her daughters, Christabel and Sylvia. The label contrasted with suffragists, who generally pursued more constitutional, nonviolent methods through organizations such as the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) led by Millicent Fawcett.

From about 1903, the WSPU and allied groups increasingly used direct action to attract attention and pressure lawmakers. Tactics included mass demonstrations, civil disobedience, and disruptions at political events, as well as property damage in some cases. Many suffragettes were imprisoned, where they undertook hunger strikes; authorities responded with force-feeding. The Prisoners’ Temporary Discharge for Ill Health Act of 1913, commonly known as the Cat and Mouse Act, allowed authorities to release hunger‑striking prisoners temporarily and rearrest them.

The movement’s activities intersected with broader political currents and were influenced by World War I. After the war, Parliament gradually extended voting rights to women: the Representation of the People Act 1918 granted limited suffrage to some women over 30, and the 1928 Equal Franchise Act gave all women over 21 the vote. Suffragettes helped draw public attention to women’s political capabilities and contributed to the broader trajectory of women’s rights in the United Kingdom and beyond.