What 100 Years of British Women’s Suffrage Says About Women’s Rights Today
In her 1914 autobiography, renowned suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst wrote “Men make the moral code and they expect women to accept it. They have decided that it is entirely right and proper for men to fight for their liberties and their rights, but that it is not right and proper for women to fight for theirs.” But, just as Pankhurst fought for her rights despite that sentiment, many women around the world today are fighting for theirs, as part of the sweeping global movement spearheaded by womenstanding against sexual harassment in recent months.
On Tuesday, the U.K. marks the 100th anniversary of British women gaining the right to vote. While it may seem like distant history, the centenary is a cause for both celebration and reflection on the parallels between international women’s movements of the past and of the present.
Here are three lessons of that century-old fight that still apply today...