130 years ago on September 19…
130 years ago today…
New Zealand women were given their suffrage. Aotearoa was the first developed country to make this incredible change, and over 90,000 women voted in the November 1983 general election.
The passing of the electoral act was a huge step towards giving women the autonomy that they deserved, and reminding New Zealand of the change that women can make in the world when united.
There was a slight concern that women going to vote in that year’s election would be hassled or even attacked at the voting booths. However there was an air of joy and festivity in the air, especially from the women who had had a big part in the fight for the electoral bill.
There were of course those who were still unhappy about the change, and even now there are some who are stuck in old ways. But the right for women to vote is essential in a functioning society. Women are human, and like men, have opinions that deserve to be heard.
Changes for women continued to happen in the world of New Zealand politics, from our first female prime minister Jenny Shipley in 1997, to our first elected female prime minister, Helen Clark, in 1999.
Organisations such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Young Women’s Christian Association have continuously fought for the girls and women of New Zealand to be given a “fair go”, and have all the same opportunities that men are given.
