Women's Right Timeline

  • Mary Wollstonecraft publishes A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

    Mary Wollstonecraft publishes A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

    Mary Wollstonecraft argues that women should have the same education and moral standards as men. Her ideas became one of the first major steps towards feminism and women's equality
  • The Great Reform Act excludes women from voting

    The Great Reform Act excludes women from voting

    This law expanded voting rights to more men, but officially stated that only men could vote. It highlighted how women are still completely excluded from political decision-making
  • John Stuart Mill publishes The Subjection of Women

    John Stuart Mill publishes The Subjection of Women

    Mill, a philosopher and politician, calls for equality between men and women in marriage, work, and society.His book inspired early women's rights activists in Britain
  • The Married Women’s Property Act allows women to keep earnings

    The Married Women’s Property Act allows women to keep earnings

    This act gave married women the legal right to keep their own money, property, and inheritance.It was an important step toward financial independence and equality
  • National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) is formed

    National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) is formed

    Led by Millicent Fawcett, the NUWSS fought peacefully through petitions, meetings, and education campaigns to gain women's voting rights in Britain
  • Emmeline Pankhurst founds the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU)

    Emmeline Pankhurst founds the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU)

    Created by Emmeline Pankhurst, the WSPU used more forceful and attention-grabbing tactics like protest and hunger strikes to demand voting rights for women
  • Representation of the People Act grants voting rights to women over 30

    Representation of the People Act grants voting rights to women over 30

    This act allowed women over 30 who met property qualifications to vote for the first time. It marked the beginning of women's participation in British democracy
  • Equal Franchise Act grants voting rights to women over 21

    Equal Franchise Act grants voting rights to women over 21

    This law finally gave all women over 21 the same voting rights as men, achieving full suffrage equality in the United Kingdom
  • Equal Pay Act is passed

    Equal Pay Act is passed

    The act made it illegal to pay women less than men for the same work. It was a major milestone i the fight for fairness and equality i the workplace
  • 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the UK

    100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the UK

    Britain celebrated 100 years since women first gained the right to vote, honoring the suffragettes' courage and the long struggle for equality that changed the nation forever