| This dissertation argues that British national health insurance and, hence, the British welfare state were shaped by the women's organizations and feminism of the Edwardian period (1900–1914). The foci of this work are part one of the National Insurance Act of 1911, which established national health insurance, and the Amending Act of 1913, which made the maternity benefits the property of the mother. Both acts are followed from their drafting stages to final passage, revealing the influence of women's lobbying and feminist ideas upon them.; Two major strains of Edwardian feminism are also identified: complementary feminism and egalitarian feminism. Complementary feminists believed in equal right between the sexes but also saw men's and women's roles in society as inherently different. Women, they believed, were naturally maternal and should remain in the home. Egalitarian feminists argued for total equality between the sexes, including in the workplace. They saw maternity as a secondary role for women as women's main occupation should be working for wages. These two conflicting forms of feminism shaped national health insurance in such a way as to make the legislation a bill of rights for women. Through national health insurance, women became seen as equals within the family and as having a right to work outside the home and earn an independent living. |
