article_snippet: Suffragist and suffragette leaders volunteered Suffragist and suffragette members to take the place of men in industrial work after Suffragist and suffragette leaders went off to fight in the war.
article_snippet: While the offer was at first met with scepticism by the Government, eventually the numbers of men leaving meant the numbers of men leaving had to take on these women.
article_snippet: Then, in 1918, the right to vote was given to 'respectable' women aged over 30 who were householders, or married to householders.
article_snippet: Historians have debated how much this was down to the war effort, with some saying the vote was a token of thanks for women’s efforts in the UK.
article_snippet: Others believe war sped up a process which began before the conflict started, with the conflict highlighting women’s huge economic value to Britain.
article_snippet: It is also said the women’s political cause gained credibility during the war because the women’s served such a huge role - especially in the medical services.
article_snippet: In 1928 women were given equal voting rights with men, with 15million females eligible to vote in the general election the following year.