-
Period: Jan 1, 1300 to
:)
-
Apr 30, 1317
France Salic Law
France adopts the Salic Law, excluding women from succession to the throne. -
Apr 30, 1412
Joan of Arc
Considered a heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. She was born to a peasant family at Domrémy in north-east France. Joan said she received visions of the Archangel Michael, Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine instructing her to support Charles VII and recover France from English domination late in the Hundred Years' War. -
Swedish Women
Sweden Female taxpaying members of city guilds are allowed to vote in local elections (rescinded in 1758) and national elections (rescinded in the new constitution of 1771). -
Abigail Adams Letter
In reference to his work on the Declaration of Independence, she writes to remind him that women “will not hold ourselves bound by laws which we have no voice.” -
French Activist
French activist Olympia de Gouges publishes Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne (“Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the [Female] Citizen”), in which she argues that women are citizens as much as are men. She goes to the guillotine in 1793 -
France Womens Rights
The question of women's right to vote is discussed in the Parliament of France; women's right to vote is acknowledged as a principle, but it is still put aside with the explanation that the time is not right to make this a reality and is therefore postponed. -
Polish Women
Poland prior to the Partition of Poland in 1795, tax-paying females were allowed to take part in political life. -
Common Law
Under common law, an unmarried woman can own property, make a contract and sue or be sued. A married woman gives up her name and all her property to her husband. -
The Napoleonic Code
The Napoleonic Code of France considers women—like criminals, children, and the insane—to be legal minors. A woman's husband controls her property and, in the case of divorce, gets the children. -
Women Preacher
Former slave Isabella van Wagener obtains her freedom and later takes the name Sojourner Truth. She begins to preach against slavery throughout New York and New England. In 1850, she encounters the women’s rights movement and incorporates its cause to hers. In 1851 she delivers her “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention to an enthralled audience, cementing her reputation as a dynamic speaker. -
Seneca Falls
Attended by 300 people including 40 men. Discussions range from the reforming marriage and property laws to a woman’s right to vote. In the end, 68 women and 32 men sign a Declaration of Sentiments calling for equal treatment of women and men under law and voting rights for women. The catalyst for this convention is the World Anti-Slavery Convention held in London in 1840 and attended by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. -
The Declaration of Sentiments
Three hundred people attended the meeting on women's rights that brought about the Declaration of Sentiments. It was a demand that women be given equal rights as men, including the right to vote. -
National Women's Rights Convention Worcester, Mass.
The first National Women's Rights Convention takes place in Worcester, Mass., attracting more than 1,000 participants. National conventions are held yearly (except for 1857) through 1860. -
The Grand Principality of Finland
The Grand Principality of Finland was part of the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917 and enjoyed a high degree of autonomy. In 1863, taxpaying women were granted municipal suffrage in the country side, and in 1872, the same reform was given to the cities. -
Bohemia Women
In the former Kingdom of Bohemia, taxpaying women and women in "learned professions" were allowed to vote by proxy and made eligible to the legislative body in 1864. -
The University of Zürich
The University of Zürich becomes the first European university to admit women -
Female Sufferage
The London Society for Women’s Suffrage is formed to campaign for female suffrage -
Swedish Women
The London Society for Women’s Suffrage is formed to campaign for female suffrage. -
Britain Married Women
Married women in Britain gain the right to own property. -
National Women's Suffrage Association
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Women's Suffrage Association. The primary goal of the organization is to achieve voting rights for women by means of a Congressional amendment to the Constitution. -
Wyoming's Women's Suffrage Law
The territory of Wyoming passes the first women's suffrage law. The following year, women begin serving on juries in the territory. -
The Married Women's Act
The Married Women’s Property Act allows married women to own their own property. Previously, when women married, their property transferred to their husbands. Divorce heavily favoured men, allowing property to remain in their possession. This act allows women to keep their property, married, divorced, single or widowed. -
The Cooperative Women's Guild
The Cooperative Women’s Guild is founded by Alice Acland and Mary Lawrenson. Its aim was to spread the knowledge of the benefits of cooperation and improve the conditions of women with the slogan "cooperation in poor neighbourhoods" -
Secretary of hte Women's Trade Union
Clementina Black, Secretary of the Women’s Trade Union League, secures the first successful equal pay resolution at Trades Union Congress -
Delegation
A delegation of women’s textile workers from Northern England present a 37,000 signatory petition to Parliament demanding votes for women. -
Social Politics
The Women’s Social and Political Union is founded in Manchester by Emmeline Pankhurst, her daughters Christabel and Sylvia, and Annie Kearney. -
Jail Time
Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kearney serve a prison sentence rather than pay a fine after being found guilty of disrupting an election rally. Their prison sentence brought the campaign for votes for women great deal of publicity and it was soon after that the press coined the term ‘suffragettes’ to describe the more militant campaigners. -
Federation
The National Federation of Women Workers is set up by Mary
MacArthur. -
Finland, Right to Vote
The Grand Principality of Finland was the first country to have universal suffrage. First country to give the right to vote and right to stand for elections to everyone of age regardless of wealth, race or social class. -
Mayor
Under the Qualification of Women Act, women can be elected onto borough and county councils and can also be elected mayor -
Meetings
Two hundred and fifty thousand people gather in Hyde Park, London, in support of women’s suffrage. -
National Federation
The National Federation of Women Workers, along with many of the other women's organisations, campaigned to expose the evils of the sweated trades. Their propaganda was very effective and played a major part in inducing the Liberal government to pass the Trade Boards Act which was an attempt to fix minimum wages in certain of the most exploitative trades, usually the ones in which women predominated. -
March of Women
British writer, feminist and composer Ethel Smyth composes the
feminist anthem ‘March of the Women’ which is dedicated to Emmeline
Pankhurst. -
Writers
British writer, feminist and composer Ethel Smyth composes the
feminist anthem ‘March of the Women’ which is dedicated to Emmeline Pankhurst -
Cat and Mouse Act
The ‘Cat and Mouse’ Act is enacted in Britain, allowing the government to temporarily discharge women prisoners hunger striking for the vote until they were fit enough to be imprisoned again. -
Womens Institute
The first Women’s Institute in Britain is founded in North Wales at
Llanfairpwll. -
Denmark, Right to Vote
-
Iceland, Right to Vote
-
United Kingdom, Right to Vote
"Over 30 years of age" -
Ireland, Right to Vote
-
Germany, Right to Vote
-
Latvia, Right to Vote
-
Georgia, Right to Vote
-
Estonia, Right to Vote
-
Poland, Right to Vote
-
Austra, Right to Vote
-
Belarus, Right to Vote
-
Ukraine, Right to Vote
-
Belgium, Right to Vote
-
Luxembourg, Right to Vote
-
Netherlands, Right to Vote
-
Sex Discrimination
The Sex Discrimination Removal Act allows women access to the legal profession and accountancy. -
The 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is signed into law by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. -
Armenia, Right to Vote
-
Azerbaijan, Right to Vote
-
Lithuania, Right to Vote
-
Kazakhstan, Right to Vote
-
Turkey, Right to Vote
Turkey In Turkey women won the right to vote in municipal elections on March 20, 1930. Turkey holds first election that allows women to vote.[11] Turkish women who participated for the parliament elections as a first time on February 8, 1935 obtained 18 seats. -
Chiles Right to Vote
Only at municipal level for female owners of real estate; Legislative Decree No. 320) -
Portugal, Right to Vote
-
Spain, Right to Vote
-
The National Service Act
The National Service Act is passed introducing conscription for women. All unmarried women between the ages of 20 and 30 are called up for war work. It is later extended to include women up to age 43 and married women, though pregnant women and those with young children can be exempt. -
France Right to Vote
-
Bulgaria, Right to Vote
-
Italy, Right to Vote
-
Slovenia, Right to Vote
-
Croatia, Right to Vote
-
Macedonia, Right to Vote
-
Malta, Right to Vote
-
UN Article 21
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN includes Article 21: The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. -
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Right to Vote
-
Greece, Right to Vote
-
Britain and Womens Pay
In Britain, legal reforms say that women teachers and civil servants should receive equal pay. -
Monaco, Right to Vote
-
Portugal Rights
Portugal claims to have established "equality of political rights for men and women", although a few electoral rights were reserved for men -
Andora, Right to Vote
-
Switzerland, Right to Vote
On the federal level; introduced on the Cantonal level from 1958–1990 -
Nation Women's Aid
The National Women’s Aid Federation is set up to bring together nearly 40 refuge services across the country. -
Moldova, Right to Vote
-
Liechtenstein, Right to Vote
Last country in Europe to grant women suffrage. -
Sex Discrimination
The Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Act enables women to retire at the same age as men. It also lifts the legal restrictions which prevent women from working night shifts in factories. -
Composite Tax System
The 'composite tax system', whereby all banks and building societies deducted an average (or composite) rate of tax is abolished. The change to the tax regime allowed women more independence and freedom from their husbands or partners. -
UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
With the help of lobbying by women’s organisations around the world, the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women affirms that violence against women violates their human rights. -
Northern Ireland’s Women’s Coalition
Northern Ireland’s Women’s Coalition was founded in an attempt to promote the inclusion of women inclusion of women in social and political life, on an equal footing to men. Establishing itself as a political party, it became an influential and liberalising force in Irish politics and helped elect two of its members, Monica McWilliams and Jane Morrice, to the Irish National Assembly. -
The House of Lords
The House of Lords delivers a historic judgement in the Shah and Islam case that women who fear gender persecution should be
recognised as refugees. -
London Partnerships Register
The Mayor of London launches the London Partnerships Register, allowing lesbians, gay men and unmarried heterosexual couples to register their partnerships -
Employment Equality Regulations
The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations are
introduced to protect people against discrimination based on their sexual orientation -
Campbell
Pauline Campbell organises protests outside HM Prisons Brockhill, Holloway and New Hall to raise public awareness about the alarming death toll of women in British prisons.
Women march on Parliament in protest that one in four retired women live in poverty. Members of the disabled people’s Direct Action Network block Westminster Bridge in protest of the Draft Disability Bill which they believe does not go far enough. -
Same Sex Couples
The first civil registrations of same-sex couples takes place as a result of the long campaigned for Civil Partnerships Act.
In Northern Ireland, women’s voluntary and community organizations and their service users match to the headquarters of the Voluntary and Community Unit, Department of Social Development, to deliver a letter of protest about the funding crisis facing the Northern Ireland women’s voluntary and community sector.