Women in Britain won the vote in 1918, but only for women over the age of 30 who owned property. The full vote came for all women over the age of 21 in 1928.

Discover the inspiring story of the struggle for women's right to vote in early twentieth century Britain.
Suffragette is adapted from the 2015 film of the same name.
The inspiring story of the struggle for women's right to vote in early twentieth century Britain.

Suffragette tells the story of Maud Watts, a working-class Londoner who joins the fight to win the vote for women in Britain. It begins in 1912, when the campaign for the vote has become more militant.
Maud lives with her husband, Sonny and young son, George in the East End of London, a very poor area at this time.
Working-class people worked very long hours and many lived in terrible conditions. Life was particularly hard for women, who often worked harder than men for less money, and also had to manage the household.
Maud and her family live in one room, and Maud and Sonny work at a laundry. The women do the washing and ironing, while the men make the deliveries and service the machines. Maud started at the laundry when she was seven, and has hardly had any education. She has also had to put up with sexual advances from the laundry owner, Mr Taylor.
If she complained, she would lose her job.
In Bethnal Green, there is a group of suffragettes, led by Edith Ellyn who runs a local chemist’s. At first, Maud is horrified by the violence of the suffragettes, who break the windows of London’s famous department stores. However, gradually she changes her mind, and slowly becomes drawn to the cause. She speaks in Parliament, spends a week in prison for protesting, and meets Emmeline Pankhurst, the real-life leader of the suffragettes. The more involved Maud becomes, the more she loses: her husband throws her out, she is separated from her son, and she loses her job. In response, Maud becomes more militant, first blowing up postboxes and then a government minister’s country home. She spends more time in prison and she goes on hunger strike.
The story’s climax takes place at Epsom racecourse where Maud has gone with Emily Davison, another real-life suffragette, to wave the suffragette flag in front of the King George V. However, unbeknown to Maud, Emily has other plans and throws herself in front of the King’s horse. She is killed instantly. Emily becomes a martyr, with thousands of women joining the suffragettes in her memory. The suffragette’s battle is almost won, and Maud has played a big part in it. She has sacrificed everything, but she has found a voice.
THE BACK STORY
Suffragette is a film about social and political change in Britain just before World War One, told through the personal story of one working-class woman. It was made by a a team of female film-makers and actors, including Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep.
Women in Britain won the vote in 1918, but only for women over the age of 30 who owned property. The full vote came for all women over the age of 21 in 1928.