Dr Naomi Paxton examines the question of whether the contribution of women in the Great War ultimately led to the success of the 'Votes for Women' campaign. She explores how established networks of suffragist and suffragette activists used the initiative, independence and creativity they had developed through their political agitation to not only keep campaigning in wartime but also to support the war effort, founding organisations that employed women across a wide variety of industries and activities, including toy-making, policing, and nursing. She also examines how cross-party conversations in Parliament led to the passing of the Representation of the People Act in 1918, tripling the number of those eligible to vote in the UK.
Naomi is an Associate Honorary Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London; an Associate Fellow of the School of Advanced Study, University of London; and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
She was a professional actor for a decade before starting a doctorate at the University of Manchester. Post PhD jobs included the UK Parliament project 'What Difference Did the War Make? World War One and Votes for Women' and curating the exhibitions 'Dramatic Progress: Votes for Women and the Edwardian Stage' (National Theatre, 2018-9) and 'What Difference Did the War Make? World War One and Votes for Women' (UK Parliament, 2018). She also devised and created the Suffra-Greats! card game (Clavis and Claustra, 2018).
Main image: Women volunteers in the library at Endell Street Military Hospital