Imagine that your class is about to take a vote for the new school captain.

This captain will represent the whole school at important events.

The captain will represent you, so it is important that every student gets a vote — a say in who they want to be their representative.

Suddenly your teacher announces that only boys will have a vote. Half your class, and half the school, are girls.

• Do you think this is a fair decision?

Discuss your ideas, then see how something like this really did happen in Australia.

Read the information below and then use it to answer the questions that follow.

Women did not have equal rights

During the nineteenth century (1800s) in Australia women had fewer rights than men.

• Women could not vote.
• Women could not be members of parliament.
• If a women married her property went to her husband.
• Fathers were the legal guardian of any children, which meant that only fathers were able to make decisions about their children.
• Women were paid less if they worked.
• Women had worse working conditions and protection than men.

Only some women could vote by 1901

In 1901 only women in South Australia and Western Australia had the right to vote. The colonies (called states from 1901) had passed laws in 1894 (South Australia) and 1899 (Western Australia) to enfranchise women (give them the vote). These women could vote in their state, and also vote for the new national parliament. Women in the other states could not vote at all.

The new parliament had to decide

In 1902 members of the new national parliament had to decide if they would allow all women to vote. They passed a law that said all adult men and women were able to vote in national elections. This gave women the vote for the national parliament, even if they could not vote for their own state parliament. State parliaments would have to change their own laws to let women vote for them. That happened gradually over the next several years.

Arguments for and against

Most members of the national parliament supported giving the vote to women. They said it was only fair that women should have a say in who made the laws that both men and women had to obey. Some opposed it. They thought that it would take women away from their role as wives, mothers and home-makers.

The result

The law was passed in June 1902. All women, except most Aboriginal women, could vote at the next national election. Australia was the second nation in the world (after New Zealand) to achieve this.

Analysing cartoons about women’s suffrage

Here are two cartoons from the time. One is from the United States, and one is from Australia, but they are both about the same issue.

Look at each and answer the questions below.

Now look at this cartoon and answer the questions below. [Note that the cartoon shows some racist images that would not be acceptable today.]

Conclusion