Women were not allowed to vote in many countries until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There were several reasons why women were initially excluded from voting:
- Traditional gender roles - Society traditionally saw politics as part of the male domain and women were expected to stay in the domestic sphere. Giving women the vote challenged traditional gender norms.
- Fear of change - Allowing women to vote would double the size of the electorate and many feared this would destabilize the status quo. There were concerns it could lead to radical changes.
- Belief in female inferiority - Many believed women were less capable than men, more emotional and thus ill-suited to making political decisions. It was argued women should leave voting to their husbands.
- Protection of privilege - Men in power wanted to preserve their authority and block challenges to the patriarchal system. Extending voting rights threatened men's control.
However, from the late 1800s onwards, women's suffrage movements campaigned vigorously for the right to vote. Key arguments included:
- Equality - Women had equality under the law and so should have equal voting rights. Taxation without representation was tyranny.
- Expanding democracy - Democracies should represent all adult citizens, not just half the population.
- Women's distinct interests - Women had different interests to men e.g. issues of marriage, fertility, childcare. They needed to vote to pursue policies supporting women.
New Zealand was the first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote in 1893. Countries like Britain, U.S. and Australia followed in the early 20th century after long campaigns. It took even longer in other places like France (1944) and Switzerland (1971).