Women and the vote
Before 1918 no women were allowed to vote in parliamentary elections. In the early 20th century there were two main groups active in the campaign for women's suffrage, a term used to describe the right to vote.
These two groups were the 'suffragists' who campaigned using peaceful methods such as lobbying, and the 'suffragettes' who were determined to win the right to vote for women by any means. Their militant campaigning sometimes included unlawful and violent acts which attracted much publicity.
Explore the Parliamentary collections for documents and images about Women and the Vote
- The 19th century and suffragists
- The Suffragettes
- Nancy Astor
- The Vote and afterwards
- Eleanor Rathbone: A Most Independent Member
- The 1866 Women's Suffrage petition: the first mass Votes for Women petition
- Votes for Women and the Speaker's Conference on Electoral Reform 1916/7
- The Ladies' Gallery and the Grille
Eight documents from the Parliamentary Archives and the Women's Library recognised by UNESCO and brought together in a display marking International Women's Day 2012
- Women's Suffrage UNESCO exhibition in the Royal Gallery, House of Lords, 2012
- Petition circulated by the Women's Suffrage Petition Committee, 1866
- Founding of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), 1897
- Mary Lowndes Album, c.1908
- Suffragette Banner, 1908
- Writings related to imprisonment and force-feeding by Emily Wilding Davison, 1912
- 'Cat and Mouse' Act, 1913
- Equal Franchise Act 1928
- Stanley Baldwin to Millicent Fawcett, 1928
Learn more about Birmingham's influence on and links with the women's suffrage movement, particularly the suffragettes.
Case studies on women's suffrage and women and Parliament.
Follow the dates and legislation that mark milestones in women's struggle for the right to vote
Find out how women use their vote today and how times have changed since women first won the vote in 1918
Take your women's suffrage research further with additional material and parliamentary sources
A podcast of interviews with archivists, curators, police and MPs about the actions of suffragettes and suffragists in Parliament
From peaceful campaigning to militant tactics, the fight for women's voting rights lasted many years. Find out how their goals were achieved, with full equality with men being won in 1928