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EIT Week 4- Women in Europe pre-1914 (1913- 'Birth Strike' in…
EIT Week 4- Women in Europe pre-1914
Beginning of gap between homosexuality and heterosexuality
Discovery of ideas of 'Biological sex', 'gender' and 'sexuality'
most of us are born with a biological sex- but we learn how to be male and female- learn what gender we want to be- discover our sexuality
Victorian society has no concept of gender- word coined in 1950s
UK- separate spheres ideology- men and women different and should take different roles in society- 1857- divorce legalised with unequal access to it- Married Women's Acts 1870 and 1882- 1869- women rate-payers could vote- 1870 Education Act- women can serve on school boards- 1918 Representation of the People Act- female householders over 30 can vote with all men over 21- 1928 Equal Franchise Act- all women over 21
France- doesn't allow women to vote until 1944
USSR- women gain vote after 1917 revolution
Germany- women given same political rights as men in Weimar constitution of 1919- Germany had largest pre-war women’s movement- SPD
Women only got vote before WW1 in Finland and Norway
Declining birth rates- contraception (rubber condoms not affordable for most)- abstinence- abortion became a 'social habit'- pills to induce abortion e.g. 'Dr Patterson's Famous Pills'- improving infant and child mortality- reduction in child labour, increase in education- taking control of one's fertility became a mark of respectability
1913- 'Birth Strike' in Germany
Growing concern over falling birth rates
There are social and cultural norms about what it means to be a man- these norms aren't 'biological'- rise of idea of sexuality
Post-Industrial Revolution- 'Cult of the Home'- separation of home from work
From 1880- era of high imperialism- ‘scramble for Africa’- traditional association of masculinity with adventure resurfaces- men get married later and later or not at all- hence appeal of ‘colonial’ careers
Real-life adventure heroes come to represent desirable masculine qualities- rise of working men's clubs
Backlash against women’s emancipation- previously unchallenged position of husband and father coming under increasing threat
Men's moral character coming under new criticism
Late 1800s/Early 1900s- sex became public matter- growing media attention to prostitution and growing desire for fertility control- rising public interest in sex scandals
Sex scandals help make newspaper reading a mass phenomenon
Sex scandals result in increased discussion of homosexuality- leads to greater criminalisation of homosexual behaviour- 1885 UK Greater Law Amendment Act- gross indecency between men- German Paragraph 175- introduced in 1871
Increased coverage of homosexual behaviour- leads to increased policing and repression of same-sex activities- newly organised resistance from individuals who came to think of their homosexual preferences as a part of their identities- changing face of masculinity and male sexuality in 1860-1914 paved way for many instances of extreme misogyny and homophobia in 20th century- also laid foundations for sexual and gender liberation movements that we tend only to associate with 'the swinging 60s' and the 'sexual revolution'
Throughout inter-war period the cause of disarmament and settlement of inter-national disputes by arbitration fostered women’s consciousness of their own contribution to politics- gave them prominence in traditionally male preserve of defence and foreign affairs-
M. Pugh, ‘The Rise of European Feminism’ in M. Pugh, ‘A Companion to Modern European History, 1871-1945’, pp. 155-65