Women's "Place" in Society

The anti-suffrage movement was deeply rooted in traditional gender roles and reflected the prevailing values of the time, which held that women's place was in the home, and their primary role was to care for their families. Anti-suffragists believed that granting women the right to vote would undermine this role and lead to the neglect of their households and children. They feared that women's involvement in politics would distract them from their domestic duties and lead to the destruction of homes across the nation.

At the same time, anti-suffragists maintained conservative values that reinforced the idea of a woman's place in the home and a man's place in the workforce. They did not believe that men should take on household responsibilities, as this was viewed as a woman's domain.

According to historian Allison Lange, some anti-suffragists also argued that women did not want or have time to vote, and their participation in politics would be pointless. They believed that women were too busy with household work to keep up with political developments and therefore lacked the necessary knowledge and interest to participate in politics.

Additionally, some anti-suffragists argued that women lacked the capacity to understand complex political issues and should not be allowed to participate in politics. This argument was based on gender stereotypes and prejudices about women's intellectual abilities and interests.

These arguments were used to justify the denial of women's right to vote and perpetuated the idea that women were inferior to men and were not capable of participating in the political process. However, the suffrage movement challenged these beliefs and worked to overturn them, eventually leading to the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.