Listen!
What Do Women Want?
An exploration into the desires of modern day women from London set against
narratives from the womens suffrage movement of the early 1900's.
"On my arrival
at Winson Green Jail on Wednesday afternoon, I protested against the treatment
to which I was subjected, and broke the windows in my cell. Accordingly at nine
o'clock in the evening I was taken to the punishment cell, a cold dark room
on the ground floor - light only shines on very bright days; no furniture in
it. A plank bed was brought in; I was then stripped and handcuffed with the
hands behind during the day, except at meals, when the palms were placed together
in front".
Language - Bengali
Quote by Mrs Mary Leigh
From
The Militants: Suffragette Activism, 1994.
Edited by Marie Mulvey Roberts and Tamae Mizuta.
Page 1 of chapter "Fed by Force"
Womens Library reference 324.6230941MIL
Women of varying backgrounds and all living in London were asked what they wanted...
"I want to travel the world with my husband and see lots of new and exciting places, but I don't want to camp I want to stay in nice hotels"
"I want to live in a world where being a mother and raising my three children is regarded as important by society".
"In the short term I want to pass my driving test, in the long term I want all my family safe,happy, satisfied."
"We are here,
not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law- makers".
Quote by Emmeline
Pankhurst, 1858-1928.
With her daughter, Christabel she helped found the Womens Social and Political
Union (WSPU) which was regarded as a militant organisation. Members of the WPSU
were frequently arrested for offences ranging from arson to public disorder.
Many were imprisoned and would go on hunger strike and would be force fed. This
militancy ended when the first world war began, Emmeline then worked supporting
the war effort. She was hailed as the leader of the womens rights movement and
just lived long enough to see the Voting Rights For Men And Women Act passed
in 1928.
"What's the
use of fighting for a vote if we have not got a country to vote in?".
Quote by Emmeline Pankhurst
The womens movement became spilt in the beginning of the first world war as
some factions, with Emmelines support, wanted women workers to unite in backing
the governments war effort in the hope that their cooperation would enhance
their cause after the war. They felt that the security of the country was paramount.
The more militant women felt the only way to achieve equality was to withdraw
support for the war effort. This would then force the government to give in
to their demands immediately and not rely on promises, this was shown by the
media as unpatriotic and these women were severely castigated by society.
Women of varying backgrounds and all living in London were asked what they wanted...
"I want to win the lottery and make all my family happy. I want to eat what I want without getting fat and I want to live to a ripe old age, no terrible terminal illness. If that's what I could be guaranteed then thats what I would want."
"I want a
good career and a job that I like to do, I also want my family to be happy.
I want to travel all around the world too."
Language - Thai
Women of varying backgrounds and all living in London were asked what they wanted...
"I want a family, added onto the pretty neurotic one I have already".
"I want to look back and be proud of my job, be satisfied that I have really achieved something".
"In the nineteenth century some women were seen as too frail to be allowed to walk alone on the streets while others were working in coalmines".
From
Fiona Macdonald, Working For Equality, 1987.
Page 15
Womens Library Reference
323.4 MAC
"Deeds Not Words" was the motto of the Womens Social and Political Union, notorious for their militancy.