Women’s Struggle for Suffrage
The suffrage movement, dedicated to ensuring equal voting rights for all citizens, has a long and ongoing history. While it is often viewed as a primarily 20th century event, it is important to recognize the many historic battles for suffrage which spans centuries and continents. In particular, the struggle for female suffrage is one of the most inspiring movements in history.
It has taken generations of sacrifice and effort to secure the right to vote for women today. In following we will explore the global history of female suffrage, understood as the right of women to vote in meaningful numbers in national elections, and the key events, battles, and figures who have helped shape the movement.
Women’s Suffrage – Its Early History
The early suffrage movement in the 1800’s was primarily focused on reforming and abolishing slavery, and granting suffrage rights to Black men. After these rights were granted with the passing of the 15th Amendment in 1870, the women’s suffrage movement began to gain traction. One of the earliest suffrage organizations, the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), was established in 1869, USA and the British Women’s Suffrage Association (BWSA) was established shortly after in 1897.
18th Amendment – Women’s Rights Granted in USA
In the US, the first true victory for the female suffrage movement came in 1917 when the 18th Amendment was passed, granting women the right to vote. This amendment was largely a result of lobbying from the NWSA and BWSA, both of which had been pushing for the reform since their formation over 40 years prior. The passing of this amendment was the first major electoral success for the women’s suffrage movement, representing the first example of women having a direct say in the legislation of the country they lived in.
Women’s Suffrage Around the World
Though the passing of the 18th Amendment in 1917 was a momentous success for the women’s voting rights movement, much work remained to be done before women around the world could achieve suffrage. Here we’ll take a brief look at some key moments of female suffrage in six countries from different continents.
United States
As mentioned, the passing of the 18th Amendment in the United States in 1917 granting full female suffrage rights was an important moment for women’s political equality. However, suffrage efforts began in earnest in 1848 with the Seneca Falls Convention, a major gathering of feminists who came together to discuss women’s rights and petition for reform. The movement grew over the following decades, most notably with the NWSA and BWSA, before the right was granted with the 18th Amendment.
United Kingdom
In the UK, women had been striving for suffrage rights since the formation of the BWSA in 1897. However, it wasn’t until very recently that women in the UK were granted suffrage. In early 1928, the Representation of the People Act was passed, allowing all women over 21 the equal right to vote.
India
In India, the first organized effort for female suffrage was in 1916, when the All-India Women’s Conference (AIWC) was formed to campaign for equal rights for women. The AIWC was responsible for several crucial achievements in the suffrage movement, including actively lobbying for suffrage for women in the Government of India Act 1935 and the Indian Independence Act 1947.
Canada
In Canada, the women’s voting rights movement is attributed to the formation of the National Action Committee (NAC) in 1875. This organisation was the first to form and promote a structured voting rights movement. However, due to various historical forces, the full right to vote in federal elections was denied to most women, including Indigenous women, until the 1920 passage of the Canadian federal Woman Suffrage Act.
Australia
In Australia, full female suffrage was granted with the passage of the Commonwealth Electoral Act in 1902, although partial suffrage had been available in some states and territories since the late 19th century. Women’s suffrage rights were achieved in Australia largely through the efforts of social reformer and suffragette, Catherine Helen Spence.
New Zealand
The nation of New Zealand was the first in the world to provide full voting rights to women, having done so in 1893 with the passing of the Electoral Act, thankfully ending 50 years of activism by the New Zealand Women’s Suffrage Society.
Leading Women of the Suffrage Movement
Throughout history, several key suffragettes have dedicated their lives to the suffrage movement. Let’s take a look at some of the most influential figures and their thought-provoking words that fought for women to regain their basic rights.
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony was a US suffragette and civil rights advocate who not only actively campaigned for the 18th Amendment and a plethora of other constitutional amendments, but also for the civil and political empowerment of people in general. One of her most memorable quotes is, “Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world’s estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathy with despised and persecuted ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.”
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British suffragette and political activist who founded the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903 and organized multiple protest campaigns including hunger strikes. Her most noteworthy quote is, “We are here not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers.”
Alice Paul
Alice Paul was an American suffragette and political activist who is widely credited for campaigning for the passing of the 19th Amendment which was passed in 1920 – a major victory for the suffrage movement. She famously said, “I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction. Most reforms, most problems are complicated. But to me there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.”
Celebrating Women’s Achievements in The Suffrage Movement
It has taken a thousand years of relentless effort for women to be heard in the same way men’s voices were heard in politics and other civic activities. Women still face immense gender disparities in many parts of the world, but the suffrage movement has played no small role in providing injustices the light they deserve.
The story of women’s suffrage is a reminder of how persistent, determined and unified individuals united by a common cause can rewrite history. Women’s suffrage has opened the door to many opportunities, allowing women to pursue careers, make decisions and participate in politics. In countries around the world, we celebrate the extraordinary women who paved the way for this movement, and the many successes of today’s female activists who continue to battle for equality.
The 21st century will bring greater advancements for women in comparison to the past. It is important to remember the fighters and advocates who led the charge before us, and also to honor by remaining active in politics and standing in solidarity with one another to continue the work they started.