Western Civilization II / Unit 12 WC2 1120 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Weapons of Self-Defense: Property, Earnings, Divorce, and Josephine Butler
Captions available
The idea
Feminists asked for economic independence, property and earnings, with the vote and divorce as weapons of self-defense. Divorce became possible in Britain and France and stayed illegal in Russia. Josephine Butler fought the Contagious Diseases Act, which inspected prostitutes and not clients, and won repeal.
In practice
Age of consent raised from twelve to sixteen.
Where people slip
Anchor-only; the left feared women would vote conservative.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it