# Canonical recap data for Women's Suffrage in Britain (1928)
# Source: https://recap.at/1928/womens-suffrage-britain
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: womens-suffrage-britain
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1928/womens-suffrage-britain"
title: Women's Suffrage in Britain
aliases:
- Equal Franchise Act 1928
- Women's suffrage in Britain
- Universal female suffrage UK
subtitle: British women gained full voting rights on equal terms with men, capping decades of militant activism and reshaping democratic representation.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1928-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1928
decade: 1920
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: Women's right to vote in the United Kingdom was established through acts of Parliament in 1918 and 1928. In 1832, the Representation of the People Act had passed into law, extending the franchise to various groups of property-owning men, thus legally excluding women.
summaryLong: Women's right to vote in the United Kingdom was established through acts of Parliament in 1918 and 1928. In 1832, the Representation of the People Act had passed into law, extending the franchise to various groups of property-owning men, thus legally excluding women.
lede: On July 2, 1928, British women gained the right to vote on the same terms as men, more than a decade after the first group of women secured partial voting rights in 1918. The Equal Franchise Act extended voting eligibility to all women over 21, effectively doubling the electorate overnight and marking the end of a multi-generational campaign for political equality.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Votes_For_Women.jpg/1280px-Votes_For_Women.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom"
importance: 84
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date of Equal Franchise Act passage
  value: July 2, 1928
- label: Age requirement for female voters
  value: 21 years old (same as men)
- label: Electorate increase
  value: Approximately 15 million additional female voters added to rolls of roughly 15 million existing (mostly male) voters
- label: Year of first female suffrage in Britain
  value: 1918 (women over 30 with property qualifications)
- label: Years between 1918 Act and 1928 full equality
  value: 10 years
- label: Prime Minister when Act passed
  value: Stanley Baldwin
- label: Start of organized British suffrage movement
  value: 1872 (formation of first formal societies)
timeline:
- date: 1872-01-01
  title: Formation of organized suffrage societies
  description: The National Society for Women's Suffrage and related organizations begin coordinated campaigns for voting rights.
- date: 1903-10-10
  title: Emmeline Pankhurst founds WSPU
  description: The Women's Social and Political Union, known for militant tactics, is established in Manchester, shifting suffrage activism toward direct action and civil disobedience.
- date: 1913-06-04
  title: Emily Davison dies at Epsom Derby
  description: Suffragette Emily Davison is struck by King George V's horse during a protest at the Epsom Derby, becoming a martyr figure for the movement.
- date: 1914-08-04
  title: World War I begins; suffrage activism pauses
  description: As Britain enters WWI, the WSPU suspends militant campaigns. Many suffragists redirect energy toward war work, which shifts public perception of women's capabilities.
- date: 1918-02-06
  title: Representation of the People Act 1918
  description: Women over 30 who meet property qualifications gain the right to vote—roughly 8.4 million women. Property restrictions exclude most working-class women.
- date: 1920-11-23
  title: Nancy Astor elected to House of Commons
  description: Astor becomes the first female Member of Parliament to take her seat (Constance Markievicz was elected in 1918 but did not take her seat), proving women's viability as elected representatives.
- date: 1927-03-08
  title: Equal Franchise Bill introduced
  description: The Bill to equalize voting age and remove property qualifications is formally introduced to Parliament by the Conservative government.
- date: 1928-07-02
  title: Equal Franchise Act receives royal assent
  description: King George V grants royal assent to the Equal Franchise Act 1928, extending voting rights to all women over 21 on identical terms to men, completing female suffrage.
- date: 1929-05-30
  title: First general election with equal female suffrage
  description: British general election held with women comprising roughly half the electorate. Labour wins plurality, and women's voting power becomes central to campaign strategy.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_suffrage_in_the_United_Kingdom"
  title: Women's suffrage in Britain
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The 1928 Equal Franchise Act completed Britain's transition to near-universal adult suffrage and removed one of the last formal legal barriers to women's political participation. The legislation reflected decades of sustained activism, tactical shifting between militant and constitutional approaches, and the political calculations of post-WWI governments. Within a year, women made up roughly half the British electorate, fundamentally reshaping how politicians conceived of representation and electoral strategy.
categories:
- election
- protest
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- constitutional_reform
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
- mobilization
impactRadius: national
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: How British women won equal voting rights in 1928 after a 70-year campaign, doubling the electorate overnight.
wikidataQid: Q3435868
peoplesVoice:
- source: Stanley Baldwin, UK Prime Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Baldwin's government passed the Equal Franchise Act in 1928, lowering the voting age for women from 30 to 21 to match men's requirements.
  excerpt: The time has come when the political equality of women with men should be frankly recognised by the law of the land.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 88
  attribution: House of Commons speech, July 1928
  publishedAt: 1928-07-03
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Lord Birkenhead, Conservative politician and jurist
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: Conservative opposition figures raised concerns about the rapid expansion of the female electorate during parliamentary debate.
  excerpt: We are doubling the electorate at a stroke. Whether this sudden admission of millions of new voters will strengthen our institutions, time alone will tell.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 65
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - House of Lords debate, summer 1928
  publishedAt: 1928-06-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Emmeline Pankhurst, women's suffrage campaigner
  voiceType: expert
  context: Though in declining health, the legendary suffragette offered reflections on the achievement just weeks before her death in June 1928.
  excerpt: At last the day has come. Women have fought long and hard for this moment - some with their very lives. The victory is complete.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 92
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - interview, May 1928
  publishedAt: 1928-05-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The Times editorial board
  voiceType: media
  context: Britain's establishment newspaper assessed the historic passage of equal franchise legislation with measured approval.
  excerpt: The measure represents a just conclusion to a long and passionate struggle. Women have proven themselves worthy of the franchise through their conduct in war and peace.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 72
  attribution: The Times editorial, July 1928
  publishedAt: 1928-07-04
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Lady Astor, Conservative MP and women's advocate
  voiceType: analyst
  context: As the first female MP elected to Westminster, Astor reflected on the significance of full franchise equality for women voters.
  excerpt: This is not the end of our work - it is merely the beginning. Women now have the tool; what matters is how we use our voice in the great questions facing the nation.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - House of Commons remarks, July 1928
  publishedAt: 1928-07-05
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260525200542/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_Kingdom"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-25
  label: Women's suffrage in Britain
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_suffrage_in_the_United_Kingdom"
