Women's Liberal Federation

History

The Women's Liberal Federation (WLF) was formed on the initiative of Sophia Fry, who in 1886 called a meeting at her house of fifteen local Women's Liberal Associations. The establishment of a national organisation was agreed, and this occurred in 1887, when members of forty associations met in London. It was reported that the federation membership was about 6,000, but this grew rapidly, reaching 75,000 in 1892. By 1904 there were 494 affiliated associations and a membership of approximately 67,600. By 1907 there were 613 affiliated associations, and a membership of 83,000.

The federation's first president in 1887 was Catherine Gladstone. At the start of the twentieth century, the WLF had approximately 500 local branches and approximately 60,000 active members.

In 1892, the WLF split over whether to support women's suffrage. While Sophia Fry was personally in favour, she felt it was a divisive issue and should not become the policy of the group. As a result, when the policy was voted in, she left to become a founder of the rival Women's National Liberal Association, serving as its vice-president.

Active members of the Women's Liberal Federation were often related to Liberal Members of Parliament or Liberal MPs. This gave these women an advantage since they knew how to work their way around politics.

One such active member, related to a Liberal MP, was Violet Bonham Carter, a British politician, diarist and daughter of H. H. Asquith, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916.

Another active member was Megan Lloyd George, the daughter of David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922 and the last Liberal to hold the office. Megan Lloyd George, voted one of the 50 greatest Welsh women and men of all time, was a Welsh politician who became the first female Parliament Member or MP (Member of Parliament) for a Welsh Constituency, winning Anglesey for the Liberals in 1929. She subsequently became a Labour Member of Parliament, standing against the Liberals in 1957 and winning the seat in Carmarthen.

Margery Corbett-Ashby, daughter of the Liberal Party politician, Charles Corbett, was also involved with the WLF. In February 1977 she spoke to the historian, Brian Harrison, about her experiences as a member of the federation, and its role in the Liberal Party as part of the Suffrage Interviews project, titled Oral evidence on the suffragette and suffragist movements: the Brian Harrison interviews.

WLF members were often involved in other organisations or societies. Lady Carlisle supported a campaign that fought for the rights for women to vote. Members of the Women's Liberal Federation were a part of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. However many members became dissatisfied with the Women's Suffrage Society because they apparently opposed the rights for women to vote. Lady Carlisle was the one who first brought up the topic of dissatisfaction.

General politics

The Women's Liberal Federation was a subset of the Liberal political party in the United Kingdom, members had predominately progressive political views. The party collectively shared the same contemporary attitudes towards women in their society that the other women's suffrage movements and the Liberal party itself upheld.

They sought out to combat the prejudiced and outdated Victorian views still present at the time. It was still commonly believed that men and women took on different societal and personal roles, with men being active and productive members of society, while women were expected to become mothers and homemakers. While men were to be working in business or in political spheres, women were to be subservient to their husbands. It was believed that women were too emotional, irrational, and indecisive to uphold positions in government roles, and instead should focus on the family rather than a career. It was also often believed that women were inherently opposed to politics, so a woman's political views were to be represented by the man of the household's vote. The society of the time also strongly believed that the group of women campaigning for women's suffrage was an incredibly small minority. In turn, the Women's Liberal Federation actively worked to overcome these ideas and values upheld in the society.

These values also posed another issue for the women's suffrage movement and the Liberal government in the United Kingdom. From 1832 to 1884, the voting system in the United Kingdom was not very inclusive for women or for men. Before 1832, only around 8% of men had the right to vote, and after 1884, only around 60% of men had the right to vote. After 1884 and before 1918, the right to vote was based on a number of factors, ranging from someone's property value to their overall wealth. Not only did the suffragette movement seek to gain the right to vote themselves, but the Women's Liberal Federation also eventually began to attempt to rectify this voting system for all people, on the basis of men and women alike.

The Liberal government also worked alongside other women's suffrage groups to petition Parliament and create more inclusive bills and laws. These petitions for new laws and bills, however, were not the most well-received, as the governments of the time did not usually vote in favour of women's rights.

The Women's Liberal Federation also strongly believed in improving women's democratic rights in society. Throughout a 40 year period, numerous changes were made in the law that enacted more democratic rights for women. The United Kingdom suffrage movement, including the WLF, worked to make strides in ensuring these rights. Prior to the formation of the Women's Liberal Federation, the suffrage movement in the United Kingdom helped to form the Municipal Corporation (Elections) Act 1869, the Elementary Education Act 1870, the Public Health Act 1875, and the Married Women's Property Act 1882. After the creation of the WLF, the political party also helped to create the Local Government Act 1888 and the Qualification of Women (County and Borough Councils) Act 1907.

Presidents of the Women's Liberal Federation

The WLF President was elected annually, and served for a one-year term.