You are in:  Women's Institute > Campaigns and projects > Women and the Vote >

Women and the Vote

90 Years Since Women Got the Vote
The National Federation of Women’s Institutes is proud to be a supporter of the Women and the Vote campaign.

The Women and the Vote campaign celebrates that fact that is now 90 years since women got the vote. However it also highlights that we still have a long way to go before achieving equality…

A year for celebration
2008 marks 90 years since the Representation of the People Act finally gave some women the right to vote. It is also 80 years since women won the right to vote on equal terms with men, and the start of democratic representation as we know it today.

Join in the celebrations surrounding these events and organise your own! Stay tuned for updates on the latest research and events.

A year for reflection
2008 is also a time to reflect on how far we've really come to equality.
The sad reality is that Britain has only 126 female MPs in a Parliament of 646. In the equality stakes both established and emerging democracies from every continent have left us lagging behind. 90 years on and there is still so much more that needs to be done.
A year to take action
This is why this year a number of civil society organisations have decided to come together and make the year 2008 the Year of Women & the Vote.
The aim is to put the issue back at the top of the Government agenda and to use the momentum to bring about change!

And this is how YOU can help keep the debate alive…sign up to the statement below and show your support!

'2008 is a year for celebration, and I hereby show my support for the ‘2008: Women & the Vote’ initiative and join into the commemorations surrounding the anniversaries of women winning the right to vote and to stand for elections.

However, this is also the year to acknowledge that women are still politically under-represented. In 90 years we have only had 291 women being elected to the House of Commons out of 4654 MPs altogether. This clearly shows that much still needs to be done.

I therefore call on the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments, political parties and Local Government to put this issue on the top of their agenda. I want to help ensure that by 2018, the Centenary of women winning the right to vote and be elected, genuine progress will have been made.'

To sign up and find out more visit www.womenandthevote.com