Timeline
and world chronology
Women’s
access to rights to vote and to stand for elections
|
1788 |
United States (to stand for election) |
|
1893 |
New Zealand (to vote) |
|
1902 |
Australia* |
|
1906 |
Finland |
|
1907 |
Norway (to stand for election)* |
|
1913 |
Norway ** |
|
1915
|
Denmark, Iceland |
|
1917 |
Canada (to vote)*, Netherlands to stand for elections |
|
1918 |
Austria, Canada (to vote)*, Estonia, Georgia*, Germany, Ireland*, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Poland, Russian Federation, United Kingdom* |
|
1919 |
Belarus, Belgium (to vote)*, Luxembourg, Netherlands (to vote), New Zealand (to stand for election), Sweden*, Ukraine |
|
1920 |
Albania, Canada (to stand for election)*, Czech Republic, Slovakia, United States (to vote) |
|
1921 |
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium (to stand for election)*, Georgia**, Lithuania, Sweden** |
|
1924 |
Kazakstan*, Mongolia, Sta. Lucia, Tajikistan |
|
1927 |
Turkmenistan |
|
1928 |
Ireland**, United Kingdom** |
|
1929 |
Ecuador*, Romania* |
|
1930 |
South Africa (Whites), Turkey (to vote) |
|
1931 |
Chile*, Portugal*, Spain, Sri Lanka |
|
1932 |
Maldives, Thailand, Uruguay |
|
1934 |
Brazil, Cuba, Portugal*, Turkey (to stand for election) |
|
1935 |
Myanmar (to vote) |
|
1937 |
Philippines |
|
1938 |
Bolivia*, Uzbekistan |
|
1939 |
El Salvador (to vote) |
|
1941 |
Panama* |
|
1942
|
Dominican Republic |
|
1944 |
Bulgaria, France, Jamaica |
|
1945 |
Croatia, Guyana (to stand for election), Indonesia, Italy, Japan*, Senegal, Slovenia, Togo |
|
1946 |
Cameroon, North Korea, Djibouti (to vote), Guatemala, Liberia, Myanmar (to stand for election), Panama**, Romania**, Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yugoslavia |
|
1947 |
Argentina, Japan**, Malta, Mexico (to vote), Pakistan, Singapore |
|
1948 |
Belgium**, Israel, Niger, South Korea, Seychelles, Suriname |
|
1949 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile**, China, Costa Rica, Syria (to vote)* |
|
1950 |
Barbados, Canada (to vote)**, Haiti, India |
|
1951 |
Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Nepal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
|
1952 |
Bolivia**, Cote d’Ivoire, Greece, Lebanon |
|
1953 |
Bhutan, Guyana (to vote), Hungary (to vote), Mexico (to stand for election), Syria** |
|
1954 |
Belize, Colombia, Ghana |
|
1955 |
Cambodia, Eritrea (?), Ethiopia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru |
|
1956 |
Benin, Comoros, Egypt, Gabon, Mali, Mauritius, Somalia |
|
1957 |
Malaysia, Zimbabwe(to vote)** |
|
1958 |
Burkina Faso,Chad, Guinea, Hungary (to stand for election), Lao PDR, Nigeria (?) |
|
1959 |
Madagascar, San Marino (to vote), Tunisia, Tanzania |
|
1960 |
Canada (to stand for election)**, Cyprus, Gambia, Tonga |
|
1961 |
Bahamas*, Burundi, El Salvador (to stand for election), Malawi, Mauritania, Paraguay, Rwanda, Sierra Leone |
|
1962 |
Algeria, Australia**, Monaco, Uganda, Zambia |
|
1963 |
Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Iran, Kenya, Morocco, Papua New Guinea (to stand for election) (?) |
|
1964 |
Bahamas**, Libya, Papua New Guinea (to vote), Sudan |
|
1965 |
Afghanistan, Botswana, Lesotho |
|
1967 |
Ecuador**, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Yemen PDR, Congo (to vote) |
|
1968 |
Nauru, Swaziland |
|
1970 |
Andorra (to vote), Yemen (Arab Republic), Congo (to stand for election) |
|
1971 |
Switzerland |
|
1972 |
Bangladesh |
|
1973 |
Andorra (to stand for election), Bahrain (right recognized?), San Marino (to stand for election) |
|
1974 |
Jordan, Solomon Islands |
|
1975 |
Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Vanuatu |
|
1976 |
Portugal** |
|
1977 |
Guinea Bissau |
|
1978 |
Moldova*, Zimbabwe (to stand for election) |
|
1979 |
Marshall Islands (?), Micronesia, Palau |
|
1980 |
Iraq, Vanuatu** |
|
1984 |
Liechtenstein, South Africa (Coloureds + Indians) |
|
1986 |
Central African Republic, Djibouti (to stand for election) |
|
1989 |
Namibia |
|
1990 |
Samoa |
|
1994 |
Kazakstan, Moldova*, South Africa (blacks) |
Rights
to vote and to stand for election not yet recognized for women in Kuwait
and United Arab Emirates
*
Right subject to conditions and restrictions
** Restrictions or conditions lifted
Source: IPU Study No. 28, 1997, “Men and Women in Politics: Democracy
Still in the Making.”
