Timeline of women's suffrage
Encyclopedia
Women's suffrage
has been achieved at various times in various countries throughout the world. In many countries women's suffrage was granted before universal suffrage
, so women (and men) from certain classes or races were still unable to vote, while some granted it to both sexes at the same time.
The timeline below lists years when women's suffrage was enacted in various places. In many cases the first voting took place in a subsequent year.
New Zealand
in 1893 is often said to be the first "country" in the world to give women the right to vote
. A contestant for being the first independent nation to grant women the right to vote would be Sweden
, where conditional woman suffrage was granted during the age of liberty between 1718 and 1771, when taxpaying women listed in their guilds as professionals were allowed to vote
Disclaimer: This timeline reflects a vast amount of information from the women's suffrage movement throughout the globe. In many cases, countries passed various laws which progressively gave women the right to vote. Many countries may appear on the list more than once because restrictions on suffrage were only lifted slowly. This list only states the right to vote; for other rights, see Timeline of women's rights (other than voting).
} In the former Bohemia
, taxpaying women and women in "learned professions" where allowed to vote by proxy and made eligible to the legislative body in 1864.
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
has been achieved at various times in various countries throughout the world. In many countries women's suffrage was granted before universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
, so women (and men) from certain classes or races were still unable to vote, while some granted it to both sexes at the same time.
The timeline below lists years when women's suffrage was enacted in various places. In many cases the first voting took place in a subsequent year.
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1893 is often said to be the first "country" in the world to give women the right to vote
Women's suffrage in New Zealand
Women's suffrage in New Zealand was an important political issue in the late 19th century. Of countries presently independent, New Zealand was the first to give women the vote in modern times....
. A contestant for being the first independent nation to grant women the right to vote would be Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where conditional woman suffrage was granted during the age of liberty between 1718 and 1771, when taxpaying women listed in their guilds as professionals were allowed to vote
Disclaimer: This timeline reflects a vast amount of information from the women's suffrage movement throughout the globe. In many cases, countries passed various laws which progressively gave women the right to vote. Many countries may appear on the list more than once because restrictions on suffrage were only lifted slowly. This list only states the right to vote; for other rights, see Timeline of women's rights (other than voting).
18th century
- 1718
-
Sweden Female taxpaying members of city guildGuildA guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
s are allowed to vote in local elections (rescinded in 1758) and national elections (rescinded in the new constitution of 1771).
-
- 1755
-
CorsicaCorsican RepublicIn November 1755, Pasquale Paoli proclaimed Corsica a sovereign nation, the Corsican Republic, independent from the Republic of Genoa. He created the Corsican Constitution, which was the first constitution written under Enlightenment principles, including the first implementation of female...
(rescinded upon annexation by France in 1769)
-
- 1756–1778
-
ColonialColonialismColonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Lydia TaftLydia TaftLydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
, Uxbridge, MassachusettsUxbridge, MassachusettsUxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
town meetingTown meetingA town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
-
- 1776
-
New Jersey (rescinded in 1807)
-
19th century
- 1838
- 1861
-
South Australia (Only property-owning women for local elections, universal franchise in 1894)
-
- 1862
- Sweden (only in local elections, votes graded after taxation, universal franchise in 1919, which went into effect at the 1921 elections)
-
- 1863
-
The Grand Principality of FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
was part of the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917 and enjoyed a high degree of autonomyAutonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
. In 1863, taxpaying women were granted municipal suffrage in the country side, and in 1872, the same reform was given to the cities
-
- 1864
-
Women in Victoria, AustraliaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
were unintentionally enfranchised by the Electoral Act (1863), and proceeded to vote in the following year's elections. The Act was amended in 1865 to correct the error.
-
} In the former Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, taxpaying women and women in "learned professions" where allowed to vote by proxy and made eligible to the legislative body in 1864.
- 1869
-
United KingdomUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
(only in local elections, universal franchise in 1928)
-
- 1869–1920
-
States and territories of the USA, progressively, starting with the Wyoming TerritoryWyoming TerritoryThe Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital...
in 1869 and the Utah TerritoryUtah TerritoryThe Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
in 1870, though the latter was repealed by the Edmunds-Tucker ActEdmunds-Tucker ActThe Edmunds–Tucker Act of 1887 was passed in response to the dispute between the United States Congress and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding polygamy. The act is found in US Code Title 48 & 1461, full text as 24 Stat. 635, with this annotation to be interpreted as Volume...
in 1887. WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
acquired statehood in 1890 (UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in 1896), allowing women to cast votes in federal elections. The United States as a whole acquired women's suffrage in 1920 (see below) through the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States ConstitutionNineteenth Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
; voting qualifications in the U.S., even in federal elections, are set by the states, and this amendment prohibited states from discriminating on the basis of sex.
-
- 1872
- The Grand Principality of FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
was part of the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917 and enjoyed a high degree of autonomyAutonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
. In 1872, taxpaying women were granted municipal suffrage in the cities
-
- 1881
-
Isle of Man (only property-owners until 1913, universal franchise in 1919.)
-
- 1884
-
Canada Widows and spinsters granted the right to vote within municipalities in OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(later to other provinces).
-
- 1889
- FrancevilleFranceville, New HebridesThe municipality of Franceville on Efate or Sandwich island was established during the period when the New Hebrides were a neutral territory under the loose jurisdiction of a joint Anglo-French naval commission...
grants universal suffrage. Loses self-rule within months.
- Franceville
- 1893
-
Colorado -
New Zealand September 19 (including Maori women; although women were barred from standing for election until 1919) -
Cook Islands
-
- 1894
- South Australia grants universal suffrage, extending the franchise to all women (property-owners could vote in local elections from 1861), the first in Australia to do so. Women are also granted the right to stand for parliament, making South Australia the first in the world to do so.
- United KingdomUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
extends right to vote in local elections to married women.
-
- 1896
Idaho - 1899
1900s
- 1902
-
Commonwealth of AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(The Australian ConstitutionConstitution of AustraliaThe Constitution of Australia is the supreme law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates. It consists of several documents. The most important is the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia...
gave the federal franchise to all persons allowed to vote for the lower house in each state unless the Commonwealth ParliamentParliament of AustraliaThe Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
stipulated otherwise. Thus, South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n and Western Australian women could vote in the first federal election in 1901. During the first Parliament, the Commonwealth passed legislation extending federal franchise to non-Aboriginal women in all states.) -
New South Wales
-
- 1903
- 1905
- 1906
- Finland 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.http://www.aanioikeus.fi/en/articles/strike.htm
-
New Hebrides Perhaps inspired by the Franceville experiment, the Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides granted women the right to vote in municipal elections and to serve on elected municipal councils. (These rights applied only to British, French, and other colonists, not to indigenous islanders.)
-
- 1908
-
Denmark (only in local elections) - Victoria (Australia)
-
1910s
- 1913
- 1915
- 1916
- Canada (AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and SaskatchewanSaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
only, others later on)
-
- 1917
- AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
-
Armenia -
Belarus -
Estonia -
Latvia -
Poland -
Ukraine
- Azerbaijan
- 1918
-
Austria - Canada on federal level (last province to enact women's suffrage was QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in 1940) -
Germany - United KingdomUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
(see Representation of the People Act 1918Representation of the People Act 1918The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an Act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in the United Kingdom. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act...
: women above the age of 30, compared to 21 for men and 19 for those who had fought in World War One. Various property qualifications remained.)
-
- 1919
-
Belgium (only at municipal level) -
Georgia (country) -
Hungary (full suffrage granted in 1945) -
Luxembourg -
Netherlands (right to stand in election granted in 1917) - New Zealand (along with voting rights, women now allowed to stand for election into parliament)
-
1920s
- 1920
-
Albania -
Czechoslovakia -
United States (all remaining states by amendment to federal Constitution)
-
- 1921
-
Kingdom of Romania (with restrictions) - Sweden
-
- 1922
-
Irish Free State—now known as the Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
—(equal suffrage granted upon independence from UK. Partial suffrage granted as part of UK in 1869 and 1918) -
Myanmar -
Yucatán, Mexico (regional and congress elections only)
-
- 1924
-
Ecuador (A doctor, Matilde Hidalgo de Prócel, sued and won the right to vote) -
Mongolia (No electoral system in place prior to this year) -
Saint Lucia -
Tajik SSR
-
- 1925
-
Italy (local elections only) - Dominion of NewfoundlandDominion of NewfoundlandThe Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
—franchise only at age 25, men could vote at age 21
-
- 1927
- 1928
- United Kingdom (franchise equal to that for men)
-
- 1929
-
Puerto Rico (to vote) - Ecuador (The right of women to vote was written into the Constitution)
-
1930s
- 1930
-
South Africa (only granted to white women on the same basis as white men) -
Turkey
-
- 1931
- (Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) -
Chile (only at municipal level for female owners of real estate; Legislative Decree No. 320) -
Portugal (with restrictions following level of education) -
Spain
- (Sri Lanka
- 1932
-
Brazil - Berta LutzBerta LutzBerta Maria Júlia Lutz was a zoologist, and scientist who became a leading figure of the feminist movement in Brazil.... -
Maldives -
Thailand (Siam) -
Uruguay
-
- 1934
- 1935
-
British Raj (same year as men) (Retained by India and Pakistan after independence in 1947). - Myanmar
-
- 1937
- Netherlands Dutch East IndiesDutch East IndiesThe Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
(passive suffrage for European women) -
Philippines
-
- 1938
-
Bolivia -
Kingdom of Bulgaria(mothers only) -
Uzbek SSR
-
- 1939
1940s
- 1940
- Canada Quebec becomes the final Canadian province to give female suffrage (April 25).
-
- 1941
- Netherlands Dutch East IndiesDutch East IndiesThe Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
(for European women only) -
Panama (with restrictions)
-
- 1942
- 1944
-
Bermuda (property-holding whites only) - Kingdom of Bulgaria(full rights)
-
Jamaica
-
- 1945
-
Early Modern France (October 21) -
Indonesia (Dutch East IndiesDutch East IndiesThe Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
) - Italy
-
Japan (with restrictions) -
Senegal -
Togo (French TogolandFrench TogolandFrench Togoland was a France Mandate territory in West Africa, which later became the Togolese Republic.-Mandate territory:...
) -
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
-
- 1946
-
Cameroon -
Djibouti (French SomalilandFrench SomalilandFrench Somaliland was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. Established after the French signed various treaties between 1883 and 1887 with the then ruling Somali Sultans, the colony lasted from 1896 until 1946, when it became an overseas territory of France....
) -
Guatemala -
Kenya -
North Koreahttp://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/suffrage.htm -
Liberia (AmericoAmerico-LiberianAmerico-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent...
women only; indigenous men and women were not enfranchised until 1951) -
Palestine (mandate) - Portugal expands suffrage
- Kingdom of Romania (with restrictions)
-
Venezuela -
Vietnam
-
- 1947
-
Argentina -
Republic of China (includes TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
) (with restrictions) -
Malta -
Mexico (only at municipal level) -
Nepal -
Pakistan (Pakistan declared independence on the 14th of August 1947) -
Singapore
-
- 1948
-
The Universal Declaration of Human RightsUniversal Declaration of Human RightsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
adopted by the UNUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
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. - Belgium
-
Israel (Upon its establishment) -
Iraq -
South Korea -
Niger -
Dutch Guiana (now SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
)
-
- 1949
- Chile (right expanded to all elections on January 8 by Law No. 9,292)
-
People's Republic of China -
Costa Rica -
Syria
-
1950s
- 1950
- 1951
- 1952
- United Nations enacts Convention on the Political Rights of Women
- Bolivia
-
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) -
Greece -
Lebanon
-
- 1953
-
Bhutan -
British Guiana (now GuyanaGuyanaGuyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
) - Hungary
-
Mexico (extended to all women and for national elections)
-
- 1954
-
British Honduras (now BelizeBelizeBelize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
) -
Colombia -
Gold Coast (British colony) (now GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
)
-
- 1955
-
Cambodia -
Ethiopia (and EritreaEritreaEritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, as then a part of Ethiopia) -
Honduras -
Nicaragua -
Peru
-
- 1956
-
Republic of Dahomey (now BeninBeninBenin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
) -
Comoros -
Egypt -
Gabon -
Mali (French SudanFrench SudanFrench Sudan was a colony in French West Africa that had two separate periods of existence, first from 1890 to 1899, then from 1920 to 1960, when the territory became the independent nation of Mali.-Colonial establishment:...
) -
Mauritius - Pakistan (right extended to national level, previously only literate women could vote http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Pakistan.htm)
-
Somalia (British SomalilandBritish SomalilandBritish Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...
)
-
- 1957
-
Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) -
Southern Rhodesia (now ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
)
-
- 1958
-
Republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina FasoBurkina FasoBurkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
) -
Chad -
Guinea -
Laos -
Nigeria-South-
-
- 1959
-
Brunei -
Madagascar (Malagasy Republic) -
San Marino -
Tanganyika (now TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
) -
Tunisia
-
1960s
- 1960
-
Cyprus(upon its establishment) -
The Gambia -
Tonga
-
- 1961
- 1962
-
Algeria - Australia: franchise extended to AboriginalVoting rights of Australian AboriginalsHistorically the voting rights of Australian Aborigines, or Indigenous Australians, had been restricted in Australian parliaments and local government bodies.-Commonwealth elections:Some Aboriginal people voted in the very first Commonwealth election...
men and women. - Brunei Revoked (including men)
-
Monaco -
Uganda -
Northern Rhodesia (now ZambiaZambiaZambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
)
-
- 1963
-
Republic of the Congo -
Equatorial Guinea -
Fiji -
Iran (See Iranian constitutional referendum, 1963Iranian constitutional referendum, 1963A constitutional referendum was held in Iran on January 26, 1963. Voters were asked to approve or veto the reforms of the White Revolution of 1963, which included giving women the right to vote, making education at the primary level compulsory, and privatising many factories...
) - Kenya
-
Morocco
-
- 1964
-
The Bahamas -
Libya -
Papua New Guinea (Territory of Papua & Territory of New GuineaTerritory of New GuineaThe Territory of New Guinea was the Australia-controlled, League of Nations-mandated territory in the north eastern part of the island of New Guinea, and surrounding islands, between 1920 and 1949...
) -
Sudan
-
- 1965
-
Afghanistan (revoked under Taliban rule 1996–2001) -
Botswana (Bechuanaland) -
Lesotho (BasutolandBasutolandBasutoland or officially the Territory of Basutoland, was a British Crown colony established in 1884 after the Cape Colony's inability to control the territory...
)
-
- 1967
-
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Ecuador (Women's vote made obligatory, like that of men)
-
Kiribati (Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
) -
Tuvalu (Ellice Islands) -
South Yemen
-
- 1968
1970s
- 1970
-
Andorra -
Yemen (North YemenNorth YemenNorth Yemen is a term currently used to designate the Yemen Arab Republic , its predecessor, the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen , and their predecessors that exercised sovereignty over the territory that is now the north-western part of the state of Yemen in southern Arabia.Neither state ever...
)
-
- 1971
-
Switzerland (on the federal level; introduced on the Cantonal level from 1958–1990Appenzell InnerrhodenAppenzell Innerrhoden is the smallest canton of Switzerland by population and the second smallest by area, Basel-City having less area.-Foundation:...
)
-
- 1972
- 1974
-
Jordan - Portugal (all restrictions were lifted)
-
Solomon Islands
-
- 1975
-
Angola -
Cape Verde -
Mozambique -
São Tomé and Príncipe -
Vanuatu (New HebridesNew HebridesNew Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
)
-
- 1976
-
Province of East TimorIndonesian occupation of East TimorIndonesia occupied East Timor from December 1975 to October 1999. After centuries of Portuguese colonial rule in East Timor, a 1974 coup in Portugal led to decolonization among its former colonies, creating instability in East Timor and leaving its future uncertain...
of Indonesia
-
- 1977
- 1978
1980s
- 1984
- 1986
- 1989
-
Namibia (South-West Africa)
-
1990s
- 1990
-
Samoa (Western Samoa) - Switzerland (the CantonCantons of SwitzerlandThe 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Appenzell InnerrhodenAppenzell InnerrhodenAppenzell Innerrhoden is the smallest canton of Switzerland by population and the second smallest by area, Basel-City having less area.-Foundation:...
is forced by the Federal Supreme Court of SwitzerlandFederal Supreme Court of SwitzerlandThe Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland is the supreme court of Switzerland. It is located in Lausanne.According to the Constitution of Switzerland, the court has jurisdiction over violations of:*federal law;*public international law;*intercantonal law;...
to accept women's suffrage)
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- 1994
- 1997
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Qatar (allowed for municipal elections in 2007Qatari municipal elections, 2007Municipal elections were held in Qatar on 1 April 2007 for the third time. Three women and 122 men ran for 29 seats in the Central Municipal Council. About 28,000 citizens of the 174,000 Qataris were able to vote, and overall turnout was 51.1 per cent....
)
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21st century
- 2002
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Bahrain (Bahrain did not hold elections prior to 2002)
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- 2003
- 2005
- 2006
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United Arab Emirates (initially limited; but expanded by 2011)
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- 2015
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Saudi Arabia (to be introduced along with right to run for municipal elections)
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See also
- Timeline of women's rights (other than voting)
- Timeline of first women's suffrage in majority-Muslim countriesTimeline of first women's suffrage in majority-Muslim countriesThis timeline lists the dates of the first women's suffrage in majority-Muslim countries....
- List of the first female holders of political office in Europe
External links
- Timeline Site --dead link
- Another Timeline --dead link
- Google Spreadsheet with map --above timeline data has been tabulated and can be viewed on a world map for any given year.