About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

9 J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare 463 (1982)
Our Own Worst Enemies: Women Opposed to Woman Suffrage

handle is hein.journals/jrlsasw9 and id is 471 raw text is: OUR OWN WORST ENEMES: WOMEN OPPOSED TO WOMAN SUFFRAGE Jeanne Howard Illinois State University ABSTRACT Opposition by women to a movement which identifies itself as for women is not new. In the late 19th and early 20th century female anti-suffragists organized to oppose the burden of the ballot. The writings of the antis (as the female anti suffragists became known) demonstrate an allegiance to class over gender, a sense of powerlessness beyond traditional roles and a fear of change. Exploring this early anti movement may give us a better understanding of the women opposed to the con- temporary woman's movement. Can any reasonable man or woman deny that there is some impell- ing reason for the fact that woman suffrage is the only woman's movement that has ever been opposed by women organized for that purpose? (Mrs. A. J. George, 1915). A significant obstacle to the progress of the contemporary women's movement is conservative opposition by women themselves. This opposition to a movement identi- fying itself as representing women serves to fundamentally discredit the claims of those seeking reform in the name of all women. As the quotation from Mrs. George indicates, opposition by women to a cause which seems to benefit them is not new. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries women also organized in opposition to the women's movement, as represented by woman suffrage. Then as now, opposition stemmed from three closely related perceptions: that the rapid social change occurring in the nation was a threat to families and to the traditional function of women; that women had more in common with, thus more allegiance to, members of their own class than with all members of their gender; and that women were powerless outside their own narrow sphere. Class allegiance, fear of change and the sense of limited power are apparent in much of the anti-suffrage literature written by women. ANTI ORGANIZATION AND LEADERSHIP Organized resistance by womer to their own enfranchisement began almost concur- rently with the woman suffrage movement. The strongest opposition to the suffrage came from the highly industrialized states experiencing a flood of immigration and rapid urbanization. The first and most active organization was the Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women. Founded in 1890, it continued its fight against sutfrage through October of 1920 when the battle was -463-

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most