I never knew that for most of my country’s history, the majority of men also couldn’t vote.
I wasn’t taught it in school, I never heard about it on tv, or within the news, or from my family.
This was back in 2018.
The UK was building up to celebrate the 100th anniversary of ‘women winning their right to vote’, despite it also being the anniversary of millions of men doing the exact same.
I began to ask – I wonder if these men will get a mention beneath the fireworks and fanfare?
Will this be an opportunity to educate those who like me, never knew of men’s suffrage?
It wasn’t. And looking back, I’m not suprised.
There were no statues erected for these men, or brass plaques in their name.
No mentions by the media, stories in the news and nothing said online.
I remember telling my family – ‘did you know most men couldn’t vote either, one hundred years ago?’
They didn’t believe me, and then didn’t care when they did.
It was this series of disappointing events that started me down the road we’re all on right now.
The path of @thetinmen, to help shed some light onto what is so often a one sided story of equality.
The re-reading of the warped and revised history of men. Because suffrage was primarily a class issue, not a gender one, and the men who went to war, to fight and die to win their vote deserve recognition too, even if it is only here between you and I.
So did you know about men’s suffrage, and if not, why do you think that is?
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Images by Museums Victoria, Duncan Kidd, The British Library and Dave Ruck.
Read more at Empathy Gap here https://tinyurl.com/c6awp5ff