There was no actual law before 1918 forbidding women to become MPs. But because women couldn’t vote, they didn’t try to stand as candidates either. After (some) women got the vote in February 1918, the decision whether to accept a woman as a candidate in an election was left to the discretion of individual returning officers in … More Nina Boyle’s test case
When the Act allowing women to become MPs was passed, perhaps its most curious aspect was that there was no restriction on age. Women had to be aged at least 30 to vote at this time, but they could stand to be MPs from age 21! There were a number of young women Parliamentary candidates over … More Old enough to be an MP, but too young to vote
Before 1918,women’s suffrage campaigners like Emily Davies were focused on getting the vote rather than making a case for women MPs. A great pioneer in women’s education, Davies had been among the very first women to campaign for the vote back in the 1860s. She was still doing so in 1907 as a constitutional suffragist (she … More The woman MP: a peril to women and the country
Following the success of Herbert Samuel’s resolution, the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 was passed to allow women to be MPs. It was a very simple Act that stated: ‘A woman shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage for being elected to or sitting or voting as a Member of the Commons House of … More Brothers-in-law at war
Among the MPs who opposed Herbert Samuel’s resolution to allow women to become MPs in 1918 was this man: This is Admiral of the Fleet Sir Hedworth Meux MP, much better known for his naval career than his Parliamentary career, which is perhaps just as well. His contribution to this Parliamentary Debate includes the following: I … More An opponent of women MPs: Admiral Meux
In a previous post I talked about how women couldn’t sit in the House of Lords until 1958. By contrast, women could be elected to the House of Commons from 1918, right after (some) women were given the vote. The Act that enabled women to stand as MPs is not perhaps well-known. It’s the Parliament … More How women came to be MPs: Herbert Samuel
Parliament and Women in the early 20th century 