WOMEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE.

By Sandra Cepeiro García, 3^rd year ESO A. Coordinators: Emilia Saavedra Seijo and Alfonso Prieto Pita.

Women's right to vote should have been accepted much earlier. The first time that women could vote without any restriction was in New Zealand in 1893, because of Kate Sheppard´s struggle.

 
In past centuries, many men and women considered that women were not prepared enough to vote, because of their lack of culture and their being easily influenced. But it was the same with men, only a minority attended University. But they could vote.

The right to vote has evolved through History. There is the right to vote and the right to be voted. And we can also find some restrictions, like race: In South Africa, during the Apartheid, every man and woman could vote, but only the white ones, not other races. 

Universal suffrage is the right to vote without any kind of restriction (race, economic condition…) but, until 20th Century, only male universal suffrage existed.

                                     

The women that fought to get their right to vote were called “suffragists”, but this movement included two branches: “suffragists” and “suffragettes”. The differences between them were on the means to achieve their goal, not on the goal itself. Suffragists were cautious, they used legal and moderate ways, trying to persuade. Suffragettes used more direct and forceful methods, like demonstrations, hunger strikes…

In Spain three women were elected as members of the Parliament in 1931, during the Second Republic: Margarita Nelken (Socialist Workers Party), Clara Campoamor (Radical Republican Party) and Victoria Kent (Republic Socialist Party). 

 

The last two were involved in a famous discussion about the convenience of women's right to vote. Victoria Kent was against it, because she considered that Spanish women lacked from the social and politic knowledge and preparation and were too influenced by Religion, which in the end would favour the right-wing parties. However, Clara Campoamor defended that women should vote, because they could not be less than men.

 

                               

Clara Campoamor´s point of view prevailed and women voted for the first time in Spain in 1933, but these three women were not elected.

The right to vote has made women feel an essential part in our society and get involved in having a proper and equal education, alike men.

 

                                                               

Fonts:

-https: // www. Diagonalperiodico.net/20789 Ochenta años del voto femenino en España.

-https: // www.elmundo.es La aventura de la Historia. Sufragistas:sufraggettes, la lucha por el voto femenino.

-https: //es.wikipedia.org/wiki/sufragio femenino.

-https: // es.scribd.com/doc/50157208/tipos de sufragio.