“The women’s suffrage clause of the bill [that would become the Representation of the People Act] was passed on 19 June 1917 by 387 to 57; the whole bill was passed in the House of Common in December 1917 by 364 votes to 23. Royal assent was given for the Representation of the People Act on 6 February 1918, after which some eight million women had the vote and thirteen million men. The same year women were allowed to stand for election to the House of Commons. The House of Lords did not admit newly created peeresses until 1958.”
In Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Representation of the People Act of 1918 was passed on this day, 6 February 1918, enfranchising women over the age of 30 who met minimum property qualifications. Ten years later, voting rights were extended to all women over the age of 21 in the Representation of the People Act 1928.
Image credit: An early 20th century British Women's Suffrage lapel pin by Nancy. CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
