This groundbreaking history of Victorian politics, feminism and parliamentary reform challenges traditional assumptions about the development of British democracy and the struggle for women’s rights and demonstrates how political activity has been shaped by changes in the history of masculinity. From the second half of the nineteenth century, Britain’s all-male parliament began to transform the legal position of women as it reformed laws that had upheld male authority for centuries. To explain these revolutionary changes, Ben Griffin looks beyond the actions of the women’s movement alone and shows how the behaviour and ideologies of male politicians were fundamentally shaped by their gender. He argues that changes to women’s rights were the result not simply of changing ideas about women but also of changing beliefs about masculinity, religion and the nature of the constitution, and, in doing so, demonstrates how gender inequality can be created and reproduced by the state.This groundbreaking history challenges traditional assumptions about the development of British democracy and the struggle for women’s rights.About the AuthorBen Griffin is a Fellow and Lecturer in History at Girton College, University of Cambridge. His doctoral thesis was awarded the Prince Consort and Thirlwall Prize and the Seeley Historical Medal in 2005 and his previous publications include The Politics of Domestic Authority in Britain since 1800 (2009), co-edited with Lucy Delap and Abi Wills.Reviews‘… an impressive contribution to the history of the struggle for women’s rights. Griffin’s close attention to the ways in which politicians’ gender shaped their responses to women’s rights issues sheds new light both on the winning of those rights and on constructions of Victorian masculinity.’ Maureen Martin, Victorian StudiesBook InformationISBN 9781107689688Author Ben GriffinFormat PaperbackPage Count 366Imprint Cambridge University PressPublisher Cambridge University PressWeight(grams) 490gDimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 19mm