Week Two: A Period of Change (1870-1950) Activity 2: The Right to Vote

Week Two: A Period of Change (1870-1950)

2: The Right to Vote

At the turn of the century, New Zealand elected its first ever government. Richard John Seddon served as the leader of the Liberal Party from 1893-1906. Prior to 1893, only men were legally allowed to vote. This all changed in the late 1800s when a woman named Kate Sheppard lead a suffragist movement in New Zealand calling for a change in law. Her hard work finally paid off when the Electoral Act was passed into law on 19 September 1893, giving women the right to vote. New Zealand was the first country to give all women the right to vote. There were still countries in the world (e.g. Saudi Arabia) who, until recently, did not allow women to vote.

On your blog tell us what you think about the fact that women were not allowed to vote in Saudi Arabia until 2015. Is it fair? Why or why not?

its not fair that woman didn't get to vote in Saudi Arabia untill 2015 because

Women in Saudi Arabia constituted 13% of the country's native workforce as of 2015. ... Women were previously forbidden from voting in all elections or being elected to any political office, but in 2011 King Abdullah let women vote in the 2015 local elections, as well as to be appointed to the Consultative Assembly

Elections in Saudi Arabia have been historically rare. Municipal elections were held in 2005 and were planned for 2009. After two years' delay, they were held in 2011. In September 2011, King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and stand in the 2015 municipal elections.