Aging and activism in the context of the British Dominions Woman Suffrage Union, 1914-1922 - Kay Whitehead and Lynne Trethewey

This article examines the activism of two London-based women, Harriet Newcomb and Margaret Hodge, who founded and led the British Dominions Woman Suffrage Union from 1914. We show that through the BDWSU and affiliated organizations Newcomb and Hodge promoted the suffrage cause internationally as well as education and social reform in London. Of particular note is the fact that Newcomb and Hodge were aged in their sixties during this time of their frenetic activism. Thus we highlight the importance of their friendships with younger women and socialist feminist networks in supporting them to manage the physical dimensions of the aging process and sustain their political work in the immediate postwar era.
From: Women's Studies International Forum 31 (2008) 30-41