Care as a Tool of Political Integration

Women's clubs and societies in London as the beginning of the first-wave feminist suffrage movement

Abstract

During the early years of the industrial era, a growing division was established between productive and reproductive activities. In turn, these activities were allocated to men (productive) and women (reproductive) respectively. Among those reproductive activities, there was the act of care exclusively performed by women in the domestic space. This division created a disconnection of women from the public space, making it difficult for them to participate in politics. However, a group of women at the end of the 19th century subverted this situation by using care as a tool for political emancipation. By establishing places that offered care-related activities in the public space, in this case for other women, they achieved the first transition in the definition of care from a domestic to a social activity. In turn, this change made it possible for women to be incorporated into the productive fabric while enabling their presence in the urban space. This article analyses these places, the women's clubs in London that generated the first suffragette movements that led to women's right to vote in the United Kingdom. This led to their participation in their country's politics.