There’s been lots in the news lately about various groups’ rights. When I was growing up, I always had the impression that the United States kind of led the pack regarding human rights and people’s civil liberties. Obviously I was wrong.
We were talking about voting a few days ago and the fact that women’s right to vote is a relatively recent thing. Actually, August of this year will mark the 103rd anniversary to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, that guaranteed women the right to vote.
At least 19 nations — including the U.S. — initially restricted the right to vote for women of certain backgrounds based on demographic factors such as race, age, education level or marital status. In the U.S., more than four decades passed between the ratification of the 19th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — that took aim at discriminatory state and local restrictions intended to prevent Black Americans from voting.
The United States was one of the early adapters of women suffrage, but it wasn’t any where near the first country to do so. The first nations to grant women the right to vote were nearly all in Europe, or in places dominated by European colonialism.
So who was first? In 1893, New Zealand enfranchised its female citizens — making it the first nation or territory to formally allow women to vote in national elections. As to where the U.S. is on the list… at least 19 other countries allowed women to vote prior to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
The most recent countries, or territories, to allow women to participate in national elections are Bhutan, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Saudi Arabia allowed women to vote in local elections in 2015 — Saudi Arabia does not hold national elections.
Women may have only “recently” been able to vote, but they often turn out vote at higher rates than men. According to my extensive research, a study in 2016 by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance found that women’s voter turnout was higher than men’s in 21 countries. American women have turned out to vote at slightly higher rates than men in every U.S. presidential election since 1984.
Susan B. Anthony once said, “It was we, the people, not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union… Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.”
So maybe we should do away with men’s rights and women’s rights, and just concentrate on human rights….
— 30 —