Women's political participation from enlightenment until their first voting rights by Nicoline Høffding Baadsgaard

17th century - The fully establishment of salons and coffee houses

ar7245 — 2025-10-22 18:48:08 UTC

It is hard to determine when salons and coffee houses exactly came around but it is without doubt that we can clarify their fully establishment in society around the beginning of the enlightenment. Salons brought women from wealthy backgrounds together to discuss among others the political world in secret due to their lack of civil rights

Society's view on women under the enlightenment

ar7245 — 2025-10-23 17:24:51 UTC

A line of thinking: Women were biologically and socially equipped only for reproduction and household sociality.

Women must be guided by public opinion and the dictatorship of the man due to her lack of male qualities.

1744 - The first publication of journals written by women

ar7245 — 2025-10-23 17:25:17 UTC

With women excluded from the public political debate, women searched for other ways to express their opinions. In this attempt, journals and magazines written by women found its way. For many year, there had only been published pieces written by men but in 1744 a british woman published a set of essays named 'The Female Spectator' which was one of the first of its kind.

1784 - 'The bread riot', a women-led protest

ar7245 — 2025-10-23 17:26:11 UTC

One of the breakthroughs to women's political participation was 'The Bread Riot' in 1784. Europe experienced poor harvest which led to increasing food prices. Especially the shortage of bread had a big impact on the lower class. The housewives saw it necessary to start protesting on the streets as their chances of surviving without food were low

May 1793 - The creation of political clubs for women

ar7245 — 2025-10-23 17:26:39 UTC

One of the most known political clubs for women was ' The Society of Revolutionary Republican Women'. The club was founded in Paris in May 1793 and created to discuss politics and the issues impacting the everyday life as well to advocate for more political influence.

September 1793 - The National Convention's banning of women clubs

ar7245 — 2025-10-23 17:27:00 UTC

The French National Convention banned women's political clubs just 4 month after the creation of the first ones. The decision was made cause women clubs were seen as a threat to society. The National Convention ruled generally against women's increasing political participation which excluded women and set them back into traditional roles

1804 - The Napoleonic Code

ar7245 — 2025-10-23 17:27:56 UTC

The Napoleonic Code reversed the little opening of civil rights to women. The code restricted women to the base of the political thinking of women's role in society seen under the enlightenment. Women were back to not being allowed to own property or work and were to work for the husband.

1848 - Seneca Falls Convention

ar7245 — 2025-10-23 17:28:16 UTC

The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's right convention discussing social, civil and religious rights of women. This convention became the break out for multiple other conventions held afterwards. During the convention law lectures, presentation and discussions were held to create clear demands for the future. In conventions were mostly organized in other parts of the world but had close connections to women organizations in Europe

1906 - Finland, the first european country to give women voting rights

ar7245 — 2025-10-23 17:28:43 UTC

In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to vote. This became the beginning of european countries giving voting rights to women through the 20th century. The first european country was Finland in 1906