What Were The Arguments Against Votes For Women In Terms Of Psychological Differences And Male Influences?
Many men argued from a psychological point of view that women were inferior to men because the woman’s brain weighed less. Women were guided by their womb. They were unstable at puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. Opponents of votes for women said family life would be destroyed and argued that it was God’s wish that men rule. Politics was too dirty a game for women because, for instance, pre-1872 elections were riotous affairs. They also said it was only a vociferous minority of women who called for the vote. Opponents of the move argued women were already indirectly represented by men as women could bend their husbands’ ears. However, in contrast, women were incapable of forming their own opinions, as they would be overly influenced by men in their lives. The social order would collapse, as women would no longer listen to their men. They would vote for temperance and other social reforms.
