Women who opposed votes for women: the case of Mrs Humphry Ward

Even today, we struggle to understand why it would be the case that women once opposed giving the vote to women. But, at the turn of the 20th century, when some were fighting for their rights, others were mounting a counter-movement against feminist reforms.

The emergence of anti-feminism was a response to the first wave of feminism, which took place roughly between 1848 and 1920. This resistance mainly involved questioning and challenging the ways in which feminism was being expressed in modern societies and suggesting that it might be detrimental.

The argument against feminism’s push for equal rights was that having more women in the world of work would disrupt the traditional social order, ultimately harming families and men.

The dispute was based on disagreement about how society would function with women taking on more responsibilities. Questions arose about how women would balance caring for children and how men would fit into the picture if women became more active in earning and democratic participation.

One of the most vocally opposed was Mary Augusta Ward – who preferred to be known as Mrs Humphry Ward. In 1908, she founded the Women’s National Anti-Suffrage League (WNASL), which met regularly in central London to discuss how to stop votes for women.

Ward was already a successful fiction writer. She was energetic and self-motivated, launching her own career by getting involved in multiple clubs and societies.

She published numerous novels and her works are considered examples of Victorian fiction masterpieces. Her most popular work, Robert Elsmere, sold a quarter of a million copies within the first few months of publication in 1888.

Ward was born into the intellectual elite and her close relationship with her father, the historian and writer Thomas Arnold, bolstered her career and may have influenced her involvement in the anti-suffrage campaign. Her empathy for male anti-suffragists within conservative circles likely shaped her stance on the issue.

She aimed to work towards finding a resolution in the women’s suffrage movement and hoped to address the challenges posed by the suffragettes, after 1906. When the American suffrage campaign suffered setbacks, she saw an opportunity on the domestic front.

In 1907, she wrote in the Times: “The women of America have defeated the woman suffrage movement. The same result has now to be achieved in England, and can be achieved, if only the women of this country will rouse themselves to the danger before us.”

Under Ward’s leadership, the WNASL created petitions to gather signatures in support of anti-feminist protesters. The anti-suffragists firmly believed that giving women the right to vote would have a negative impact on the traditional British way of life and the role of men within the household. To raise awareness of the risks of supporting women’s liberation, the WNASL established branches across the UK.

The group published The Anti-Suffrage Review nationwide from 1908 to 1918. This pamphlet was created and published regularly by WNASL members to discourage votes for women and became a platform for them to publicly express their opposition to women’s suffrage.

The Anti-Suffrage Review significantly aided the WNASL in shaping the counter-movement against votes for women. It criticised the suffragettes for their activities and portrayed them as irresponsible and reckless, helping to reach mass audiences for their cause.

Then, in 1909, Ward toured the UK, addressing meetings in various cities, including Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle, giving public speeches to persuade women to vote no and that a woman’s place was in the home.

The suffragettes subdivision however, was notorious and internationally famous by this point. The division’s demonstrations and public appearances were much livelier and received larger audiences. I believe this may have been a significant factor in the defeat of the WNASL.

Ward’s public appearances paled in comparison to the energetic and captivating suffragette speeches that were drawing worldwide attention. She ultimately lost the battle and the suffrage movement successfully secured the right to vote in the UK in 1918.

After winning the right to vote, steps were taken to ensure full equality with men. The Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928, passed ten years later on July 2, established that women in England, Wales and Scotland had the right to vote in parliamentary elections on the same terms as men if they were over the age of 21.

Ward passed away in 1920, so she did not live to see the passing of equal franchise in 1928. Her efforts to stop the suffrage movement may be a mark against her but she also spent her final year writing articles about the British first world war effort – bravely working on the frontline, visiting trenches. Her experiences became three more novels inspired by the war, including The War and Elizabeth, Cousin Philip, and Fields of Victory.

Laura Edwards does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.