Question
Document B Mrs. Gilbert E. Jones A Women Assails Woman Suffrage (1910)
Taxation without representation is tyranny, but we must be very careful if define what we mean by the phrase…. We have
a "tyranny" here, we are told. Because some women pay taxes, yet do not vote. If this is true without any qualification, it
must be true not only of women, but of everybody.
…This League cannot find that the ballot will help the wage-earning woman. Women must reason to organization, associa-
tion, and trade unions, and then they can command and maintain a standard wage. Supply and demand will do the rest.
Women are not well trained and often very deficient and unskilled in most of their occupations… Married women should be
kept out of industry… As scientists, physicians, and sociologists all state that as women enter into competitive industrial life
with men, just so does the death rate of little children increase and the birth rate decrease.
…"Anti's" ask for more discrimination and better selection of industrial occupations…The average woman has half of the
physical strength of the average man, and the price she must pay when in competition with him is too great for her ultimate
health and her hope of motherhood.
…The question of woman suffrage should be summed up in this way: Has granting the ballot to women in the two
suffrage states where they have had it for forty years brought about any great reforms or great results? No…
Have the slums been done away with? Indeed no.
Are the streets better cleaned in the states where women vote? No, they are quite as bad as in New York City……
Have women purified politics? No…
Have women voted voluntarily? Some do; but thousands are carried to the polls… otherwise they would not vote.
…Are there laws on the statute books that would give women equal pay for equal work? No, and never will be.
Are women treated with more respect in the four suffrage states than else where? Not at all-certainly not in Utah. . : .
The National League for the Civic Education of Women, an anti-suffrage group
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 35, Supplement (May 1910): 16-21, passim.
1. 2. 3. According to Mrs. Jones what are the gender expectations of the duties and roles of women as wives,
mothers and members of the work force?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What arguments does Mrs. Jones make about the differences between men and women? How does
she feel these differences affect a woman‟s ability to be competitive in the workforce with men while
still being a mother?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What argument does Jones make regarding suffrage and the paying of taxes?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
4. How has granting women‟s suffrage in some states affected the roles of women in those societies,
according to Jones?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________
Taxation without representation is tyranny, but we must be very careful if define what we mean by the phrase…. We have
a "tyranny" here, we are told. Because some women pay taxes, yet do not vote. If this is true without any qualification, it
must be true not only of women, but of everybody.
…This League cannot find that the ballot will help the wage-earning woman. Women must reason to organization, associa-
tion, and trade unions, and then they can command and maintain a standard wage. Supply and demand will do the rest.
Women are not well trained and often very deficient and unskilled in most of their occupations… Married women should be
kept out of industry… As scientists, physicians, and sociologists all state that as women enter into competitive industrial life
with men, just so does the death rate of little children increase and the birth rate decrease.
…"Anti's" ask for more discrimination and better selection of industrial occupations…The average woman has half of the
physical strength of the average man, and the price she must pay when in competition with him is too great for her ultimate
health and her hope of motherhood.
…The question of woman suffrage should be summed up in this way: Has granting the ballot to women in the two
suffrage states where they have had it for forty years brought about any great reforms or great results? No…
Have the slums been done away with? Indeed no.
Are the streets better cleaned in the states where women vote? No, they are quite as bad as in New York City……
Have women purified politics? No…
Have women voted voluntarily? Some do; but thousands are carried to the polls… otherwise they would not vote.
…Are there laws on the statute books that would give women equal pay for equal work? No, and never will be.
Are women treated with more respect in the four suffrage states than else where? Not at all-certainly not in Utah. . : .
The National League for the Civic Education of Women, an anti-suffrage group
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 35, Supplement (May 1910): 16-21, passim.
1. 2. 3. According to Mrs. Jones what are the gender expectations of the duties and roles of women as wives,
mothers and members of the work force?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What arguments does Mrs. Jones make about the differences between men and women? How does
she feel these differences affect a woman‟s ability to be competitive in the workforce with men while
still being a mother?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What argument does Jones make regarding suffrage and the paying of taxes?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
4. How has granting women‟s suffrage in some states affected the roles of women in those societies,
according to Jones?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________
Answers
GPT-4o mini
1. According to Mrs. Jones, the gender expectations of women are that they should primarily focus on their roles as wives and mothers. She suggests that married women should be kept out of the workforce, indicating that their primary duty lies within the home and family. Additionally, she believes that women should not engage in competitive industrial life, as it detracts from their role as caretakers and can negatively impact their health and the well-being of their children.
2. Mrs. Jones argues that there are significant physical and skill-based differences between men and women. She states that the average woman has only half the physical strength of the average man, which affects her ability to compete in the workforce. According to her, when women enter competitive industry alongside men, it not only takes a toll on their health but also undermines their capacity for motherhood. She implies that this competition is detrimental to both women's health and to the upbringing of children, leading to increased death rates of children and decreased birth rates.
3. Jones argues that there is a contradiction in the reasoning that women should have the right to vote because they pay taxes. She suggests that if taxation without representation is a form of tyranny, then this argument applies universally, not just to women. She implies that simply paying taxes does not qualify one for the vote, and she expresses skepticism about whether granting suffrage would lead to meaningful change for women.
4. According to Jones, granting women's suffrage in the states where it has been implemented has not resulted in significant changes to the roles of women in society. She points out that there have been no major reforms or improvements in social conditions, such as the elimination of slums or cleaner streets, and that women have not been able to purify politics. Furthermore, she notes that many women do not vote voluntarily, suggesting that suffrage has not empowered them in the ways proponents claim. She concludes that the impact of suffrage has been minimal and has not translated into better treatment or equality for women in those states.
2. Mrs. Jones argues that there are significant physical and skill-based differences between men and women. She states that the average woman has only half the physical strength of the average man, which affects her ability to compete in the workforce. According to her, when women enter competitive industry alongside men, it not only takes a toll on their health but also undermines their capacity for motherhood. She implies that this competition is detrimental to both women's health and to the upbringing of children, leading to increased death rates of children and decreased birth rates.
3. Jones argues that there is a contradiction in the reasoning that women should have the right to vote because they pay taxes. She suggests that if taxation without representation is a form of tyranny, then this argument applies universally, not just to women. She implies that simply paying taxes does not qualify one for the vote, and she expresses skepticism about whether granting suffrage would lead to meaningful change for women.
4. According to Jones, granting women's suffrage in the states where it has been implemented has not resulted in significant changes to the roles of women in society. She points out that there have been no major reforms or improvements in social conditions, such as the elimination of slums or cleaner streets, and that women have not been able to purify politics. Furthermore, she notes that many women do not vote voluntarily, suggesting that suffrage has not empowered them in the ways proponents claim. She concludes that the impact of suffrage has been minimal and has not translated into better treatment or equality for women in those states.