British Dominions Women's Suffrage Union

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The British Dominions Women's Suffrage Union (BDWSU) was a women's organization, founded in 1913 and dissolved in 1922. [1]

Contents

Foundation

The Union was founded in New Zealand in February 1913 [2] by Margaret Hodge and Harriet Newcomb. [3] It organized the suffrage organisations of the British colonies and aimed to foster women's equality throughout the British Empire and facilitate communication between dominion and metropolitan organisations. [4] Among its members were New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Canada.

The Union held international conferences in London in 1916 and 1918. A deputation was organised to the British Home Secretary in December 1916. [5]

Members

Members included British suffragist Dorothy Pethick, who served as honorary secretary in 1916 [6] and South African suffragist Daisy Dorothea Solomon who worked as literature secretary. [7] It was also supported by British suffragists Millicent Fawcett, Sylvia Pankhurst and Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence. [8]

Dissolved

The Union changed its name to British Dominions Women Citizens' Union in 1918. [8] In 1922, it was dissolved in to the British Overseas Committee of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance.

References

  1. ↑ Crawford, Elizabeth (2 September 2003). The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide 1866-1928. Routledge. p. 643. ISBN   978-1-135-43402-1.
  2. ↑ Duley, Margot I. (1993). Where Once Our Mothers Stood We Stand: Women's Suffrage in Newfoundland, 1890-1925. Gynergy. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-921881-24-7.
  3. ↑ Whitehead, Kay; Trethewey, Lynne (1 January 2008). "Aging and activism in the context of the British Dominions Woman Suffrage Union, 1914–1922" . Women's Studies International Forum. 31 (1): 30–41. doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2007.11.009. ISSN   0277-5395.
  4. ↑ Snaith, Anna (24 February 2014). Modernist Voyages: Colonial Women Writers in London, 1890–1945. Cambridge University Press. p. 30. ISBN   978-1-107-78249-5.
  5. ↑ Mayhall, Laura E. Nym (6 November 2003). The Militant Suffrage Movement: Citizenship and Resistance in Britain, 1860-1930. Oxford University Press. p. 128. ISBN   978-0-19-534783-8.
  6. ↑ "Dorothy Pethick". Suffragette Stories. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  7. ↑ "Miss Daisy Dorothea Solomon". Women's Suffrage Resources. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  8. 1 2 Doughan, David; Gordon, Peter (3 June 2014). Dictionary of British Women's Organisations, 1825-1960. Routledge. p. 26. ISBN   978-1-136-89770-2.
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