Women's Suffrage

Abstract

Margaret Mary Dilke (1857–1914) was a leading campaigner for female suffrage. In 1878 she became an active member of the National Society for Women's Suffrage and later was appointed to its executive committee. After the society split in 1888, she joined the Central National Society for Women's Suffrage and was appointed treasurer in 1896. This volume, first published in 1885 as part of Charles Buxton's 'The Imperial Parliament' series, contains Dilke's response to some of the major contemporary anti-suffrage arguments. Women's suffrage is introduced in its contemporary political context. Dilke also discusses medical assertions such as that women were mentally and physically inferior to men, and the idea that female suffrage would erode women's commitment to marriage and family life. This fascinating volume succinctly describes and rejects the main contemporary anti-suffrage arguments, illustrating the connections between the issue of female suffrage and other areas of contemporary society.