Women's suffrage
Also called: Women's franchise · Topic: Gender, Religion and Caste in Politics · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 9 "From the Rulers to the Ruled: Types of Governments"; Class 8, Ch 5 "Universal Franchise and India's Electoral System"; Class 9, Ch 6 "Democracy"; Class 10, Ch 3 "Gender, Religion and Caste"
Meaning
Women's suffrage is women's right to vote in elections. In many countries women won it only after long struggles. In India some provinces let women with property and education vote from 1921, and Madras was the first. Under Articles 325 and 326, the Constitution gave universal adult franchise in 1950. This means every adult citizen can vote, so Indian women got the vote without a separate fight. The voting age was 21 at first. The 61st Amendment (1988) lowered it to 18.
Example
New Zealand gave women the vote first, in 1893. The USA followed in 1920 and Britain gave equal franchise in 1928. France did so in 1944, and Switzerland at the federal level only in 1971. India gave women the vote from the very start of the Republic in 1950.
Don't confuse with
- Women's political representation: the right to vote does not ensure that women are elected in equal numbers. Few women still sit in Indian legislatures.