The Australian Women's Register

Summary

Jennie Baines was a prominent feminist and socialist in both Britain and Australia. Born in Birmingham, the daughter of a gunmaker, she was sent to work in a factory when she was just 11. She soon joined her parents in their Salvation Army work. She married George Baines in 1888 and had five children. In 1905 she joined the Women’s Social and Political Union, becoming a full-time organiser. She was imprisoned 15 times and in 1913 was smuggled out of the country to Melbourne with her family. Once there, she worked for the Women’s Political Association and joined the Women’s Peave Army. With Adela Pankhurst Walsh she campaigned tirelessly against the war and conscription. She also joined the Socialist Part in 1917. In the years after World War One she continued to work in both the Labor and Socialist parties.