Amongst the organisations advocating for women’s enfranchisement, another with prominence was the Dunedin Tailoresses Union [DTU] formed in 1889. The depressed economic situation in New Zealand during the 1880s led to “sweated labour.” Men and women alike worked for long hours and low wages in overcrowded conditions. Factory worker Miss M recalls “I made 12s 6d one week, but that meant working till three o’clock some mornings… and on Sunday, too” (Paul, 1910, as cited in Dalley & Robertson, 1984). For this reason, the DTU sought to improve working conditions for women through campaigning for suffrage. The DTU collaborated with the WCTU to spread the word of the suffrage campaign through petitions. While the WCTU appealed to many older, unmarried
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According to revisionist historian Phillips (1987), “Drinking was without doubt the most important and defining ritual of the male community” (p. 35). It seemed natural, therefore, for men to worry about how the enfranchisement of women may affect something of such importance, particularly due to the involvement of the WCTU. Furthermore, politicians opposed to women’s suffrage argued that it would disturb natural gender roles, a reasoning declared by Sir Richard Seddon and Henry Fish (Brooking & Enright, 1988, p. 104). Those who held these views were “usually denoted as ‘Conservatives’” (Grimshaw, 1972, p. 62). Fish argued that women’s suffrage would be “analogous to taking the bloom of the luscious peach… you destroy its principal beauty” and initiated an anti-suffrage petition that ultimately failed (as cited in Brooking and Enright, 1988, p. 104). Aside from this, the Opposition took few public actions to advocate against women’s suffrage; their main weapon lay in their influence in …show more content…
Even with the vote, women’s unions continued to improve the social situation of women in New Zealand using legal measures. This included the establishment of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children in 1893 and the National Council of Women [NCW] in 1896 (Brooking & Enright, p. 106). Demanding equal rights for women, the NCW strived for justice within the areas of marriage and employment, and called to raise the age of consent for sexual intercourse and for the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act. Among some of their successes, the Criminal Code Amendment Act 1896 raised the age of consent to 16, the Female Law Practitioners Act 1896 allowed women to practice law, the Divorce Act 1898 made the conditions of divorce equal for men and women, and the Contagious Diseases Act was finally repealed in 1910. The DTU also aided the economic situation with campaigning that regulated work conditions through a variety of Acts passed in 1894. By improving the social and economic position of women, it is clear to see that even in smaller numbers after 1893, women still influenced politics, elevating their involvement in the passing of the Electoral
According to revisionist historian Phillips (1987), “Drinking was without doubt the most important and defining ritual of the male community” (p. 35). It seemed natural, therefore, for men to worry about how the enfranchisement of women may affect something of such importance, particularly due to the involvement of the WCTU. Furthermore, politicians opposed to women’s suffrage argued that it would disturb natural gender roles, a reasoning declared by Sir Richard Seddon and Henry Fish (Brooking & Enright, 1988, p. 104). Those who held these views were “usually denoted as ‘Conservatives’” (Grimshaw, 1972, p. 62). Fish argued that women’s suffrage would be “analogous to taking the bloom of the luscious peach… you destroy its principal beauty” and initiated an anti-suffrage petition that ultimately failed (as cited in Brooking and Enright, 1988, p. 104). Aside from this, the Opposition took few public actions to advocate against women’s suffrage; their main weapon lay in their influence in …show more content…
Even with the vote, women’s unions continued to improve the social situation of women in New Zealand using legal measures. This included the establishment of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children in 1893 and the National Council of Women [NCW] in 1896 (Brooking & Enright, p. 106). Demanding equal rights for women, the NCW strived for justice within the areas of marriage and employment, and called to raise the age of consent for sexual intercourse and for the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act. Among some of their successes, the Criminal Code Amendment Act 1896 raised the age of consent to 16, the Female Law Practitioners Act 1896 allowed women to practice law, the Divorce Act 1898 made the conditions of divorce equal for men and women, and the Contagious Diseases Act was finally repealed in 1910. The DTU also aided the economic situation with campaigning that regulated work conditions through a variety of Acts passed in 1894. By improving the social and economic position of women, it is clear to see that even in smaller numbers after 1893, women still influenced politics, elevating their involvement in the passing of the Electoral