women 1920

Women’s Rights in the 1920s

• Roles changed during and post-World War One, with many women entering the public sphere and supporting the Workers' Rights movement.

• Women faced barriers but fought for Equality (fair treatment in personal and work life) and Suffrage (the right to vote).

• Work and Education: Limited job opportunities, lower pay, and few pursued higher education.

• Separate Spheres: Men as breadwinners and women as homemakers; women fought for broader career options.

• Women’s Suffrage movements were led by figures like Nellie McClung in Canada and the Pankhurst sisters in England.

• Government Representation: Emily Murphy became the first female judge in the British Empire, and Anges MacPhail was the first woman elected to Parliament in 1921.

• Voting Rights: Not all women had equal access; black, Asian, Inuit, and Indigenous women faced restrictions.

• Notable Facts: Many women stopped working upon marriage; faced pay inequality (54% of men's wages); lack of contraception information; limited divorce rights until 1925.