September 19 - New Zealand Grant Women the Vote

This Day in History: 19 September 2020

 

19 September 1893

 

127 years ago, today, New Zealand became the first country in the world to allow the national voting rights of women. The fight in New Zealand was won through a combination of persistence, the temperance movement and a degree of luck. The movement had come to prominence in the 1880s, and blamed alcohol for many of society's problems with women and children receiving the main responsibility. Kate Sheppard became New Zealand's leading suffragette, as she organised many petitions demanding women the vote and spoke around the country. The English philosopher John Stuart Mill was another major influence, as he advocated for rights for women.

An earlier bill to parliament had failed in the upper house but was passed despite Prime Minister Richard Seddon's attempts to stop it. His interreference bothered two members of parliament so much that they changed their vote and the bill was passed. 84% of women registered for the next general election occurring over two months later. Today, Kate Sheppard's portrait is on the New Zealand ten-dollar bill, and the centenary of her efforts was widely celebrated in 1993. In 1917, Canada followed in granting women the vote, before the United Kingdom in 1918 and the United States in 1920.

Want to find out more about the women's vote in New Zealand? Click here for more information, or here for more about Kate Sheppard.

Rocking UR Teens Report

On Thursday 12^th March I had the pleasure of attending a Teen Empowerment Conference at Thomson Reuters in Canary Wharf which I had been invited to speak at by the Rocking Ur Teens company as an #iwill Ambassador along with other young girls and women. This conference was the first event held by the company and it was an amazing opportunity for 13-14 year old school girls to learn about opportunities available to them, meet girls from different walks of life and to be challenged to make a difference and realise their own power.

The day started off with a welcome from the quirky young presenter Remel London and a Keynote Speaker session. This session included speeches from Emma Barnett, the Women’s Editor of the Telegraph, Yasmin Ali, Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2013, and Grace and Amelia Mandeville (The Mandeville Sisters), Presenters and two of my favourite YouTube Vloggers whom I was lucky enough to get to sit next to for most of the day! These women shared how they became successful and how they approached opportunities in their careers. Hearing how they got to where they are now was encouraging and inspiring to me and hopefully to the other girls too.

After this, the students had time to learn more about leadership, entrepreneurship, jobs and making good choices, through workshops in different rooms. While this was going on I was still in the main hall with the other speakers trying to gather the courage to speak to The Mandeville Sisters, that is until my mum took action and introduced me to them for me (thanks mum). A little off topic but that just made the whole event even better! I also had the chance to speak to Remel London about her career and it was incredible to hear how much she has achieved such as graduating with a BA Degree in Broadcast Journalism, becoming a presenter and interviewing celebrities, actors and music acts, including Jessie J, at just 25 years old!

We then had lunch before hearing from graduates, interns and school leavers about corporate life and their involvement. It was helpful to learn how these women chose their courses and how they started life after education. We also heard from Marsha Powell, founder of BelEve UK, and she gave everyone steps to making good choices for future success. Marsha’s speech got everyone thinking about choices and how we make them and everyone learnt the same thing from her speech, make decisions for yourself and make choice that make you happy.

The last set of speeches for the day was by #iwill Ambassadors (myself and two other young women), we were there to represent the Step Up To Serve charity and to talk about our social action journeys and how we have made a difference through volunteering. This was my first ever public speech and to be completely honest, I was so nervous that I don’t even remember what I said! I just spoke about my role as a mentor and how that has opened so many opportunities for me that I would not get any other way. Through volunteering as a mentor, I’ve become a proud ambassador for a national charity, I’ve spoken at an important event and I have spoken to Prince Charles! I believe that my social action journey proves that even the smallest action can make an enormous difference in a community and even in your own life.

At the end of the conference we had a special musical performance from Tendai and then it was over. Before I left I got to speak to the founder and co-founders of Rocking Ur Teens and they offered me more opportunities! One of the co-founders, Jenny Garret, suggested that at the next conference I could have my own workshop to present and Jenny also said it is likely that Nonsuch will be invited to attend next year’s event!

Being at this conference and speaking has taught me so much about myself and how I can make my future better as well as helping others. I’ve realised that every opportunity is important, if you want something and you have the chance to get it, take that chance because it could be the only one. I have also learnt that every mistake counts. I know the women who spoke to us did not become so successful easily and they must have been turned down or disappointed many times before they found the opportunity for them and it’s the same for everyone and it’s so important to embrace mistakes and to learn from them, especially in your teenage years.

S.S.

'Oh do shut up dear' - Mary Beard on the public voice of women

A fantastic lecture about women's role in speaking out over the course of history.  The well-known classicist felt compelled to take on the issue of the public voice of women after her recent treatment on social media - and she does so with gusto!!
See clips from her lecture here and her article in the Guardian about women in the public sphere here.

Malala Yousafzai

Exactly a year ago, Malala Yousafzai was fighting for her life, shot at the age of 15 by Taleban gunmen for speaking up for the right of girls to be educated. She survived, miraculously, and now lives in Birmingham, unable to return to home of Pakistan because as death threats against her continue to be issued.

Malala's story can be read here, in Mishal Hussein's article for the BBC, and in this Panorama documentary. You can also read this interview with her in the Guardian and watch a clip of her appearance on the Daily Show.

Superwomen of yesteryears: Benazir Bhutto

25 years ago on the 16th November, a woman became the first female prime minister of the Islamic state of Pakistan. That woman was none other than Bhutto, yes, Benazir Bhutto. The daughter of the eminent politician: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto lived out her formative years in Karachi, Pakistan and was fortunate enough to be sent to Harvard University in the USA. After studying for a politics degree, Benazir had come to Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, as a postgraduate student. Of course, by then she was known as the Pakistani prime minister’s daughter, so she didn’t go unnoticed by any means. She was known around Oxford for driving her then-fashionable MGB through the streets. Her open-top sports car became her signature item and before you know it, she was elected as president of the reputable Oxford Union Society. She was already showing signs of following her father’s footsteps! But she wasn’t to bask in her luxuries for too long.

In 1977, her father was hanged as part of a military coup and after her returning to Pakistan; Bhutto was placed under house arrest subsequently. Benazir Bhutto’s life had taken a massive turn and from then on she devoted her life to her father’s memory. However, simultaneously she had manifested her first political achievement, by becoming the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) - slowly eroding the image of the subservient Pakistani woman in Muslim societies. She spent seven whole years in exile in London, and only returned to her country to stand as a candidate for the Pakistan elections. Despite the patriarchal Islamic society, Bhutto proved herself by winning the general elections and garnering the votes of Pakistani men.

This was a milestone for her and a certain reason for why she stands as one of the most notable Muslim women of history. She held the office for two terms: one from 1988 to 1990 and the other from 1993 to 1996. At this point, to neighbouring India she was the ‘Iron Lady’: resilient and still standing for yet another term in the office. Nevertheless, Bhutto’s political career wasn’t all sun and roses, and to be honest, who’s political career is? Bhutto achieving the highest office in a Muslim country was undoubtedly a turning stone in history, but she failed to impress the people of her country. Under her lead, Pakistan was associated with vast foreign debts and her government was soon dismissed by Pakistan’s president with labels such as ‘incompetence’ and even ‘corruption’. It also didn’t help that her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was accused of corruption. Her second attempt in the office was again unsuccessful, and it was dismissed again due to several renewed allegations of corruption.

Despite facing countless charges of corruption, in exile in Dubai, she continued leading the PPP with Western governments for support. She has achieved a heroic status to every Western feminist, in her trials and her tribulations. In 2007, President Musharraf allowed her to return to Pakistan, though she was greeted with a detonation of two bombs, finishing 140 of her supporters. She didn’t relent and instead held election rallies to fight back. But this wouldn’t stop her fate addressing her. On the 27th December, she was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi- ceasing her political comeback in Pakistan. Some may say she was a failing political figure, but I believe she fought for the natural rights of everyday Pakistanis, and is an inspiration to women across the globe for surviving in a man’s world. And just maybe, that is why now a Pakistani woman is able to vote in the Pakistan elections today. By MD

Obama's Inaugural Address

Here is the full text of President Obama's Inaugural Address which he gave yesterday. It is well worth reading, and makes plenty of allusions to the United States' history as well as to the challenges ahead. One of its most well-quoted phrases was:

"We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall"

This not only makes a reference to the Declaration of Independence but also to three important moments in America's social history:

Seneca Falls, New York, was the location of a pioneering convention on women's rights in 1848, arguing in particular for women's right to vote which was eventually granted nationally by the 19th Amendment in 1920.

Selma, Alabama was the starting point for a series of marches in 1965 demanding Civil Rights and fair treatment of black voters in the state. The violent repression of the marches and the speeches of Martin Luther King (Coincedentally, yesterday was Martin Luther King day in the USA) directly led to President Johnson presenting the Voting Rights Bill to Congress with these words...

Even if we pass this bill, the battle will not be over. What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and state of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause, too, because it is not just Negroes but really it is all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.

The Stonewall Riots were a series of demonstrations by New York's gay community that took place outside the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in 1969. They were angered by America's repressive laws against homosexuality and in particular hostile treatment by the police, whose attempted raid on the Inn had led to the riots. The demonstations brought gay rights to wider public attention and in particular led to the Gay Pride movement which grew out of an event to mark the anniversary of the riots. Obama's address was the first time the word "gay" had been used in this particular context.

There is plenty of comment on his speech. Here is Gary Yonge from the Guardian's verdict. Please let us know if you find any reactions that are particularly interesting.

Happy New Year

Hope everyone has had a fantastic Christmas break and a very good 2013 so far.
Below are some interesting articles to get you thinking about some issues this year.
First of all, the gun control issue in the USA is due to be a big feature of Obama's political year as he tries to persuade Republicans to pass some sort of gun control legislation.  Here is a Jonathan Freedland article from the Guardian about why it is so difficult to achieve in the USA.
Another key issue so far this year has been the public outcry about the treatement of women in India after a female student was gang-raped and murdered on a bus in Delhi.  Shocking new information is revealed daily about the problems there from female infanticide and abortion to now in this BBC article the trafficking of women that results from a shortage of women.  Feminism Society recently held a session on this worrying situation.
Lastly, this is an article about the latest film about to come out about the killing of Osama Bin Laden by Kathryn Bigelow, the first female director to win an Oscar.  Naomi Wolf criticises it for 'peddling the lie that CIA detentions led to Bin Laden's killing' and compares her with the Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl, who you might remember from GCSE History.  A nice combination of History and Politics!  Now the US Senate Intelligence Committee has asked to see the information that the film producers received about the use of torture, BBC article attached.  Please comment if you see the film and tell us what you think (it is classified as a 15 certificated film remember).

Rosie Campbell

Thank you very much to Dr Rosie Campbell, Senior Lecturer in Politics at Birkbeck, University of London, for coming in to talk to Nonsuch Politics students today.  Her fascinating talk about voting behaviour and gender gave us all a real insight into the electoral system in particular and the political system in general.
If you want to know more about her work, here is her Birkbeck site and here a link to her article in the Guardian re women and voting in the 2010 election.

Kites For Women's Rights

There was an excellent presentation in Amnesty Society last week about the state of women's rights in Afghanistan, ten years after the most recent conflict there began.  You can catch up with it by viewing this powerpoint, and if you would like to join in and write a message on a kite in support of the women of Afghanistan, please contact a member of the society for more information or visit Amnesty International's home page.

Women in Saudia Arabia get the vote

Well...almost.  King Abdullah announced today that women would be allowed to vote and run in municipal elections in four years' time as well as be appointed to the influential Shura Council that advises the King.  It is a little too early to celebrate though as the vote has been promised previously and taken away again with little justification, no appointments have yet been made to the Council and the King can ignore it anyway.  It also is a relatively small victory when compared with what else women can't do in the country ie drive, sign legal documents and importantly participate in public life without a male relative's agreement.
Read the story on the BBC and the Guardian.

A new female prime minister

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, leader of the centre-left coalition in Denmark, won a narrow victory over the right wing government in power to become the first female prime minister in Denmark last night.  Her victory brings the Danish left back to power after ten years in opposition, and is likely to mean Denmark will be more positive on moves towards closer economic co-ordination within the European Union.  She said after her victory: “Today is the day things change in Denmark. This evening we’ve shown that the Social Democrats are a big and driving force in Denmark. We’ve written history today.”
See the BBC, Guardian and Telegraph's reporting of the story.
She also has a close contact with Britain as she is the previous Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock's daughter-in-law being married to Neil and Glenys Kinnock's son Stephen.

Women in American elections

It has been claimed 'The Year of the Conservative Woman' or Mama Grizzlies as Sarah Palin would say conservative women were. What does this really mean? Certainly the elections today will not mean more women in Congress. In fact, there will be fewer if the Republicans make the gains expected - possibly even the lowest number for 40 years. Are they advocating women's rights? They tend not to focus on women's traditional issues and put forward more traditionally male issues such as the concern about the deficit and taxation. Is this post-feminism as claimed in this US News article? Certainly, Democrat women do not see it that way. They argue that repealing healthcare is not helpful to women and the children that the mama grizzlies have supposedly reared up on their hind legs to protect. Michelle Obama in her recent speech for Harry Reid was forceful in her refutation of this argument. The Times have a good article on these arguments which will be up in the Study Room tomorrow.

ps on American women, see here for the story of Dilma Rousseff, who has just won the presidency of Brazil.

International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day. It was first held in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, when over a million women attended rallies demanding equality. Ukraine, China and Vietnam mark it with a holiday. Here are some further facts and here is the official website. But is such a day really needed any more? What events from "women's history" are worth celebrating today?

18th century women

Just a few suggestions on books about famous and/or important women in the 18th century. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire is a great read and there is now a film that covers her life story. Here is Amanda Foreman’s website which has exerpts from the book and information about other books she has written. Stella Tillyard is another author who has written some great books about eighteenth century women – from Aristocrats, about the lives of the Lennox sisters, to A Royal Affair, about the lives of George III’s siblings. See here for an interview with Stella Tillyard. Finally, it is worth reading Antonia Fraser's book on Marie Antoinette for a different view - here is her website.

All-women shortlists for the Conservatives?

David Cameron has suggested that he might be prepared now to countenance all-women shortlists for Conservative candidates from January, using it as a threat to recalcitrant Conservative associations. But is this a good idea? Does it help or hinder women? Read Nick Robinson's take here and a debate on the Daily Politics here.

Women in History Timeline

A great timeline here of important developments for women in Britain from 1900 to 2006. From Radio 4's Woman's Hour, it gives an audio commentary on each decade. Which ones do you think were the most important? The presenter of Woman's Hour Jenni Murray writes an article here to accompany the series about her own family's experiences alongside the events and ends with a discussion of feminism today, finishing with the quotation,"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what a feminist is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat"!

Revenge of the sisterhood

An interesting article in the Times by Alice Thomson about the treatment of female ministers in the Labour Party which may have partly led to this crisis. See here. Things are moving quite fast now so will we have a new Prime Minister by next week or will Brown manage to claw back from the brink with his reshuffle?