Liberalism and Women
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For the study of Liberal, SDP and Issue 62 / Spring 2009 / £8.00 Liberal Democrat history Journal of LiberalHI ST O R Y Liberalism and women Elizabeth Evans Can Liberalism ever be feminist? Richard Reeves John Stuart Mill Liberal father of feminism Martin Pugh The Liberal Party and women’s suffrage, 1866 – 1918 Matt Cole The Yellow glass ceiling The mystery of the disappearing Liberal women MPs Lisa Harrison Selecting women candidates A critical evaluation Liberal Democrat History Group Liberal Democrat History Group publications • The Dictionary of Liberal Thought: an accessible guide to the key thinkers, groups and concepts associated with liberalism. £35, from the Westminster Bookshop, 8 Artillery Row, London SW1; see www.westminsterbookshop.co.uk • Great Liberal Speeches: 47 of the greatest speeches by the greatest Liberals, from Charles James Fox to the twenty-first century. £16 toJournal subscribers (£20 to others), but not available in book- shops; order only from LDHG (Patrick Mitchell, 6 Palfrey Place, London SW8; subs@liberalhistory. org.uk). • Liberal History: a concise history of the Liberal Party, SDP and Liberal Democrats. 300 years of party his- tory in 24 pages – £1.50 to Journal subscribers, £2 to others. Order details as above. 2 Journal of Liberal History 62 Spring 2009 Journal of Liberal History Issue 62: Spring 2009 The Journal of Liberal History is published quarterly by the Liberal Democrat History Group. Special issue: Liberalism and women ISSN 1479-9642 Can Liberalism ever be feminist? 4 Editor: Duncan Brack Deputy Editor: Tom Kiehl Guest Editor Elizabeth Evans introduces this special issue by analysing the Assistant Editor: Siobhan Vitelli relationship between Liberalism and feminism. Biographies Editor: Robert Ingham Reviews Editor: Dr Eugenio Biagini John Stuart Mill: Liberal father of feminism 12 Contributing Editors: Graham Lippiatt, Tony Little, York Membery Richard Reeves explores how Liberalism and feminism meet powerfully in the life and work of John Stuart Mill. Patrons Dr Eugenio Biagini; Professor Michael Freeden; The Liberal Party and women’s suffrage, 16 Professor John Vincent 1866 – 1918 Martin Pugh traces the relationship between the Liberal Party and the Editorial Board campaigns for women’s suffrage. Dr Malcolm Baines; Dr Roy Douglas; Dr Barry Doyle; Dr David Dutton; Professor David Gowland; Dr Richard Grayson; Dr Michael Hart; Peter Hellyer; Ian Hunter; Dr Balancing family and politics 23 J. Graham Jones; Tony Little; Professor Ian Machin; Dr Interview with Shirley Williams; by Elizabeth Evans. Mark Pack; Dr Ian Packer; Dr John Powell; Ed Randall; Jaime Reynolds; Dr Andrew Russell; Iain Sharpe The yellow glass ceiling: the mystery of the 26 Editorial/Correspondence disappearing Liberal women MPs Contributions to the Journal – letters, articles, and Only six women ever sat as Liberal MPs, and most only for very short periods. book reviews – are invited. The Journal is a refereed Matt Cole examines why. publication; all articles submitted will be reviewed. Contributions should be sent to: Selecting women candidates: a critical 36 Duncan Brack (Editor) evaluation 38 Salford Road, London SW2 4BQ email: [email protected] The Liberal Democrat record in selecting and supporting women candidates; by Lisa Harrison. All articles copyright © Journal of Liberal History. From WLF to WLD: Liberal women’s grassroots 46 Advertisements Full page £100; half page £60; quarter page £35. campaigning Discounts available for repeat ads or offers to readers The evolution of the Women’s Liberal Federation into Women Liberal (e.g. discounted book prices). To place ads, please Democrats; by Hollie Voyce. contact the Editor. Reviews 52 Subscriptions/Membership Hague, The Pain and the Privilege, reviewed by J. Graham Jones; Isba, Gladstone An annual subscription to the Journal of Liberal History and Women, reviewed by Gillian Sutherland. costs £20.00 (£12.50 unwaged rate). This includes membership of the History Group unless you inform us otherwise. Non-UK subscribers should add £5.00. The role of women in merger 56 The institutional rate is £50.00, which includes online A personal view of women in Alliance politics; by Celia Goodhart. access. As well as printed copies, online subscribers are able to access online copies of current and all past Journals. Online subscriptions are also available to individuals at £40.00. Cheques (payable to ‘Liberal Democrat History Group’) should be sent to: Patrick Mitchell Cover picture: 6 Palfrey Place, London SW8 1PA; Liberal election poster, 1929 email: [email protected] Payment is also possible via our website, Liberal Democrat History Group www.liberalhistory.org.uk. The Liberal Democrat History Group promotes the discussion and research of topics relating to the histories of the Liberal Democrats, Liberal Party, and SDP, and of Liberalism. The Cover design concept: Lynne Featherstone Group organises discussion meetings and produces the Journal of Liberal History and other Published by the Liberal Democrat History Group, c/o occasional publications. 38 Salford Road, London SW2 4BQ For more information, including historical commentaries, details of publications, back issues Printed by Kall-Kwik, of the Journal, and archive and other research sources, see our website at: 18 Colville Road, London W3 8BL www.liberalhistory.org.uk. April 2009 Chair: Tony Little Honorary President: Lord Wallace of Saltaire Journal of Liberal History 62 Spring 2009 3 The relationship between liberal and feminist ideology has historically been a complex one. This introduction to this special issue of the Journal, by Elizabeth Evans, will consider CAN LIBERAlisM the peaks and troughs of the relationship and assess to what extent the aims and objectives of feminism and liberalism are intertwined or mutually exclusive. EVER BE FEMINisT? While thinkers such as Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill have inspired arly feminist ideas on between the party and feminist extending the rights organisations such as the Fawcett generations of Liberal of men to women, set Society. This article will firstly campaigners for the forth by Mary Woll- consider some of the key areas of stonecraft in A Vindica- tension between feminism and equal treatment of Etion of the Rights of Women (1792), liberalism before moving on to men and women, the were adopted and championed by a chronological analysis of the a number of leading Liberals who extent to which Liberalism in party’s position on argued that the refusal to accord practice can claim to be feminist. women the same basic rights of It is important to deconstruct the suffrage issue at equality and liberty was tyran- the terms ‘liberalism’ and ‘femi- the beginning of the nical.1 J. S. Mill’s detailed and nism’ in order to provide a more important work, The Subjection of concise understanding of their twentieth century was Women (1869), provided a critical distinct ideological approaches, often problematic. appraisal of women’s oppression, thereby allowing us to identify applying the principles of justice, shared ground or potential for While modern Liberal liberty and the right to choose to hostility. Most commentators Democrat manifestos the condition of women’s lives. identify two distinct waves of However, liberalism and femi- feminism: first-wave feminism, do show a degree nism have, at times, been dia- typically contained within the of commitment to metrically opposed: for example period 1830–1920, is grounded in the early twentieth century the in a classical liberal-rights per- women’s issues, a failure Liberals were divided on the issue spective with women’s enfran- to secure the election of suffrage, leading many lib- chisement and civil rights at eral feminists to desert the party the core of its agenda, while of more women to concentrate efforts on the second-wave feminism emerged MPs ensures that the newly formed Women’s Social during the 1960s and relied and Political Union (WSPU). heavily upon informal grassroots party’s commitment More recently, the use of equality women’s organisations. First- guarantees or quotas to increase wave feminism concentrated on to feminist objectives the number of women MPs has overturning legal obstacles to remains uncertain. highlighted divisions in opinion equality, and, following Mill’s 4 Journal of Liberal History 62 Spring 2009 CAN LIBERAlisM EVER BE FEMINisT? philosophy, liberal feminists Mystique (1963), focused their a multilayered ideology. Theo- campaigned for access to prop- efforts on highlighting the more rists write of ‘feminisms’ rather erty ownership and the right unseen elements of discrimina- than ‘feminism’, and the rec- to vote. What is evident is the tion – challenging sexist stere- ognition of this plurality is disconnect between practi- otypes and created gendered crucial.2 During the 1970s the cal changes to legislation that identities. Taking as their start- women’s liberation movement would improve women’s lives ing point the failure of first-wave underwent internal divisions and a more strategic approach to feminism to address the role of as a result of accusations from challenging the underlying gen- women in society, women were non-white, non-middle-class dered norms and values of soci- encouraged to believe that they women that the movement was ety. This is best exemplified by could be more than just house- only concerned with securing the fact that many liberal femi- wives. There was a conver- equality for a certain type of nists saw no connection between gence between the personal and woman.3 This led to a widen- legal equality and the need for the political which resulted in ing of the feminist approach so wider societal social and cul- increased attention towards leg- as to incorporate views as wide tural equality. Essentially their islation surrounding issues such ranging as black, eco, cyber and main objective was to secure as divorce and abortion. The power feminism, all of which equality and liberty within practical objectives of feminism provide different perspectives existing societal structures, and and liberalism were once again on the feminist agenda.