Discuss the reasons for the rise of women’s groups from 1850 to c.1903 Throughout the 19th century, there was a major rise of women's groups that eventually resulted in the right to vote in the early 20th century. Issues such as the position of women in law, the limited roles for women in education and work, and the idea of being able to vote are all reasons in why there was a rise in women's groups in the 19th century. All of these smaller issues are all small parts in the bigger picture of what the women wanted during the Victorian era. In 1854, Barbara Leigh-Smith wrote a paper which was “A brief summary in plain language of the most important laws concerning women”. This paper goes on to outline the laws in which concern women during