RESEARCH: Women - the beginning (Gray's Inn)

https://www.graysinn.org.uk/history/women/women-the-beginnings

Article published: 23rd June 2017

In this article, the main focus is on the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act which was passed in 1919 - this allowed women to enter the legal profession for the first time. After this, female students could become students of the Inns of Court (which is essential in the process of becoming a barrister, nowadays). When the act was passed, women were only qualified to become solicitors.

By 1919, women had been able to study law at university for forty years (as being on the same par as their male counterparts). *The article goes on to explain how women were unable to qualify as solicitors or barristers, however, they could qualify as clerks in legal office, which contradicts the previous information.*

The Inns of Court were reluctant to offer equal opportunities to women.

Key female figures include: Miss Cave and Miss Day.

In the early 20th century, women also fought for the right to qualify as a solicitor. In Scotland in 1900, Margaret Hall had failed in her appeal that she qualified as a "person" within the meaning of the 1842 Solicitors Act. (The conclusion of the courts was that only men qualified as  a "person".)

the Representation of the People Act 1918, given the Royal Assent on 6th February 1918, gave women over the age of thirty the right to vote (if they were either a member or married a member of the Local Government Register, a property owner, or a graduate voting in a University constituency). Following the end of hostilities in November 1918, the major political parties promised to commit to equality in their manifestos for the December general election. The Labour Party went furthest with this cause, branding itself "the women's party" during this election. These pledges bled through into the bills presented to Parliament in 1919, which culminated in the Sex Discrimination (Removal) Act.

The first bill introduced relating to women in the legal profession was the Barristers and Solicitors (Qualification of Women) Bill in February 1919. A second Bill, the Justices of the People (Qualification of Women) Bill, was presented to the Lords shortly afterwards.

In conclusion, I found the website interesting on a personal level, however the information and topic centres on women and the law (not women's rights explicitly). therefore, I highly doubt that I will use this information in my final project. The article was also written by Dr Daniel F. Gosling, which adds credibility to the source.

(In the post above, I have noted my findings for further use, all information is from the link at the top of this page.)