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This timeline shows how Women's Rights changed and developed all over the world during the period 1950 - 1959. It includes changes and information from Ireland, America, Asia and Africa.
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Today that figure is 14%. Many of the military women in the 1950's would have had to disguise themselves as men in order to gain access to the battlefield. This includes well-known examples like Frances Clayton in the American Civil War.
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The right for women to vote was introduced in India in 1950.
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Women in China did not gain full property rights until the passing of The Marriage Law of 1950.
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In 1951, 84.8% of women between the ages of 45 and 49 were married. The figure was 75% overall. At that time: “marriage was more popular than ever before” (Bruely).
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In 1952, equal pay for women teachers was introduced in Britain for the first time.
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The right for women to vote was introduced in Lebanon in 1952.
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In 1953, a popular book of advice for women stated: “A happy marriage may be seen, not as a holy state or something to which a few may luckily attain, but rather as the best course, the simplest, and the easiest way of life for us all” (P. Whiteman, Speaking As A Woman).
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In 1953, Simone de Beauvoir’s historical account "The Second Sex" was published. It was an historical analysis of women’s second-class status in America. It helped greatly in forcing the issue into the public arena.
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In 1954, equal pay ofr women civil servants was introduced in Britain for the first time. This followed the introduction of equal pay for women teachers two years previously.
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A self-help guide for women was published for American housewives in 1954.
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In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man. Although primarily a race issue, her arrest for that refusal led to a year-long boycott of the city's bus system and the civil rights movement in the U.S.
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The Married Women’s Status Bill was published in 1956. Although introducing new rights for married women, it was eventually seen as a limited and fundamentally conservative
piece of legislation in Ireland. -
The right for women to vote was introduced in Egypt in 1956.
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The Civil Service Regulation Act was published in 1956 in Ireland. Women were now legally required to retire from work once they were married.
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In 1957, the Married Women's Status Act was published, ushering in a new wave of rights and equality for all women in Ireland at that time.
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The right for women to vote was introduced in Malaysia in 1957.
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In 1958, the Irish Government introduced the first female Gardaí into the force, in Dublin. It was initially on a trial basis.
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In 1958, Ulla Lindström became the first female Swedish Prime Minister.
