Votes for Women
The most significant event of the twentieth century has to
be the accomplishment of women's suffrage. It is still a work-in-progress
although it began before the 1900's. Women in New Zealand had the vote
in 1893, prior to the death of Queen Victoria, and Australian women the
year after in 1902. However, women's suffrage was not won in
Switzerland until 1971 and sadly, some women have not yet been accepted
as equal in countries around the world. Of course, this right to
participate politically is only the beginning of the development to full
political, social and economic equality and this work continues into the
twenty-first century.
Therefore, each of us can cite a different date that marks a turning point in the process. For me, a Canadian, the date is January 28, 1916. On this date, women in the province of Manitoba, Canada were acknowledged in legislation to have the right to vote in provincial elections and to be elected as a member of the provincial legislature under the same qualifications as men. This was the first such legislative change in Canada, which would be followed in every other province as well as federally.
Thousands of Canadian men and women actively worked for women's suffrage. The National Library of Canada website has details about many of these activists including Nellie McClung, Manitoba Suffragist. Mrs. McClung was instrumental in Manitoba and Alberta and was one of the "Famous Five" who, in 1927, submitted a petition for an interpretation of the word "Person" in section 24 of the British North America Act of 1867. The decision on October 18, 1929, (Persons Case) found that "Person" includes female persons, thereby making women eligible for appointment to the Senate of Canada.
