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Barbara Bodichon's Suffrage Movement

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Barbara Bodichon committed herself to furthering the women’s suffrage movement in a patriarchal England by publishing works in her feminist newspaper, petitioning Parliament, and by founding the first college in England that offered degree level education to women. Bodichon was an artist, feminist, and activist. She dedicated her life to fighting for equality, specifically in marriage. As a woman in Victorian England, she faced a ruling body of mostly married men who were opposed to change in their households, especially with their wives. Founding Girton College, which offered a higher level education for women, is her most recognized legacy, although her works extended far beyond that.
The fight for women’s rights in England exploded in the mid-nineteenth century and saw figures like John Stuart Mill and Emmeline Pankhurst publishing feminist articles. The desire for equal rights had already existed and the leaders of the movement gave these women a voice. Goals varied depending on who was asked, but the overall goal of being equal with or closer to being equal with men was prevalent to them all. Some desired complete equality under the law …show more content…

Her unwavering devotion and constant support of gaining women rights that equaled men shaped her legacy and led to women actually gaining these rights. Her unfamiliarity in modern history is nothing short of a tragedy. For she chose to voice her opinion in the face of criticism, act upon her beliefs in unforgiving circumstances and fight for what she felt was right when she knew that she would be ridiculed and called preposterous for it. As she stated in her writings “I hope there are some who will brave ridicule for the sake of common justice for half the people in the world”. She led those brave few and ended up winning rights for a person that had been undermined for hundreds of years prior:

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