WHY did nine million women in the United Kingdom fail to vote at the last election? Labour quotes figures that suggest nearly a million fewer women than men voted – although others think the gap might be smaller, taking account of demographics. But since women had to struggle so hard to get the vote, shouldn’t they be first in the queue at the polling booths?
Monday is the deadline for everyone to register to vote, and it’s worth remembering what women were doing 100 years ago to secure the right to a vote. They chained themselves to railings, blew up buildings and letter boxes, and more than 1,000 women went to jail. In prison they went on hunger strikes, demanding to be treated as political prisoners, and were brutally force-fed. A tough women’s bodyguard had to be formed around the Pankhursts – leaders of the suffrage movement – to protect them from attacks wherever they went.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
