'Shoulder to Shoulder'

February 6^th 1918

My dear diary

What excitement.

Today about 8.5 million of us were enfranchised, 40 per cent of us that is. Although all men over 21 are able now to vote, property ownership and the marriage state still apparently determine the female’s ability for political thinking. Class, as ever, still as significant as one’s sexual apparatus if one is female.  

Progress then. But not enough and I, along with my sisters, and like-minded brothers, will continue to fight until all women get the vote.

It’s not ladylike I’m told and is likely to inhibit my chances of making a good, or indeed, any match.

So be it; the struggle for suffrage and my duty to the cause being so much more important than any personal satisfactions.

Kathryn

30^th May 1929

Dear Diary

A great and memorable day.

I have just returned from the polling office. Equal franchise for all. And can you believe at this general election there were more women eligible to vote than men. I hope and pray that a goodly proportion of that 52.7% exercised that long fought for right.  

And yet, there is still so much more to do.

Not that I regret my union with dearest Earnest. How could I. But to be forced to give up my beloved occupation on marriage. So unjust that in joining myself to a man I am forced to give up that which is so significant to my own identity. 

As I say, so much more to do.

Kathryn

1^st January 1970

Faithful Diary

How happy I am to have lived to see this. Votes for all at 18. I baked a chocolate and cherry cake to celebrate and shared it, along with stories from my past, with my two beautiful granddaughters. How lucky I have been, I am. What a future they have before them.

Kathryn

History A Level Notes -  Katie Blackmoor (Friday 3^rd Nov 2017)

Today, for of my history A Level project, I watched part of the parliamentary debate on the ‘Young People's Enfranchisement and Education’ Bill. Amongst other things the Bill proposes reducing the voting age to 16 in parliamentary and other elections.  I decided to do my project on the history of the right to vote after my mum told my about my great-grandmother Kathryn’s (who I’m named after) experience fighting for votes for women. Nan even gave me some of Kathryn’s diaries which include some really interesting family stuff as well as lots about her political beliefs and activities. Sadly Kathryn died early in 1970 just before the first Women’s Liberation Movement conference in 1970. I’m sure though that she would have supported the four demands of 1. Equal pay, 2. Equal educational and job opportunities, 3. Free contraception and abortion on demand and 4. Free 24-hour nurseries. For my project I’m planning to include a review of how far, or not, we’ve actually got with these.

FACEBOOK  06.02.2018

Bit of a sore head today. Well you’re only 18 once…

No lectures, tempted to stay in my PJs.

BUT, local by-election today so off out to vote – shoulder to shoulder with Kathryn, my great-grandmother the suffragette. When I get back I'm going to write to my MP to add my support for voting rights at 16.

Katie x