Passive Socialite or Active Soldier?

The characters in "Iron Jawed Angels" made the woman's movement their entire lives, while in “Mary Poppins” the mother seems to do it has a "hobby" or on a part time basis and only seems partially committed to the movement. This is couldn’t have been clearer then in the scene where Alice Paul affirms she has no room for a man in her life as long as she has the woman's movement. In my view “Mary Poppins” portrays suffragists (especially the mother) in a very passive way. On one hand the mother is flying the suffragist flag and then in another scene she's taking notes silently as her husband revels in male dominance. The mother in "Mary Poppins" seems to suggest that the women’s movement is nothing but upper middle class white women with too much time on their hands. (However false this may be)
I think it's clear that the suffragist movement is more accurately portrayed in "Iron Jawed Angels". The film is a very raw depiction of the rough and hard work working for civil rights really is, struggles between the establishment and the younger newer factions, stress surrounding funding, political push back ect. In “Mary Poppins” the movement is portrayed in a more "book club" fashion, more of like a social gathering of women.
I think in both films men underestimate women, but especially in "Mary Poppins" the husband dismisses his wife’s work for the suffragist movement when all the while he has know idea just how successful it will be. In "Iron Jawed Angels" men place much harsher sanctions on the women, especially in the parade scene, men even become violent and bash women implying they "wish to be men".
I think women in both films are doing SOMETHING to disrupt norms about women. Obviously the women in "Iron Jawed Angels" do more because they appear to be farm more out-front on issues regarding the movement. Take for example the women picketing the President in a time of war; these women are willing to be imprisoned for their beliefs. We're not given any indication that the mother in "Mary Poppins" has done anything like this or is willing to be imprisoned for her beliefs.

In my mind these two films are demonstrative of the powerful suggestions of media and it's possibe bias against women and the women's movement as reported in "Fight Like a Girl" (Seely 1). Each of these films portrays suffragists in different ways I would argue that "Mary Poppins" make light of the movement while "Iron Jawed Angels" appropriatly pays it homage.

"Iron Jawe Angels-A Film by Katja Von Garnier". 29 January 2010 .

"Mary Poppins 1964". Answers.com. 29 January 2010 .

Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl: How to be a Fearless Feminist. New York and London: New York University Press, 2007.