Milestones in Order

A century and a half of “yes, actually, we can”

Here’s a quick tour of some big moments. Read it through, then try putting the milestones in order below.

Year	Where	What happened
1848	🇺🇸 US	The Seneca Falls Convention in New York is the first big women’s rights convention. Its “Declaration of Sentiments” demands the vote.
1882	🇬🇧 UK	The Married Women’s Property Act lets married women own and control their own property.
1893	🇳🇿 NZ	New Zealand is the first self-governing country to give women the vote.
1894	🇦🇺 South Australia	Women win the vote and the right to stand for parliament, one of the first places in the world to allow both.
1902	🇦🇺 Australia	The Commonwealth Franchise Act gives most women the federal vote, but excludes most Aboriginal people.
1918	🇬🇧 UK	Women over 30 who meet property qualifications can vote. (Men could vote at 21.)
1920	🇺🇸 US	The 19th Amendment is ratified. In practice many Black, Native American and Asian American women were still blocked for decades.
1928	🇬🇧 UK	Equal franchise: women vote on the same terms as men, from 21.
1943	🇦🇺 Australia	Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney become the first women elected to federal parliament.
1962	🇦🇺 Australia	All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people get the right to vote in federal elections.
1963	🇺🇸 US	The Equal Pay Act makes it illegal to pay women less for the same work.
1970	🇬🇧 UK	The Equal Pay Act is passed (coming into force in 1975).
1984	🇦🇺 Australia	The Sex Discrimination Act outlaws discrimination on the basis of sex.
2004	🇬🇧 UK	The Gender Recognition Act creates a legal process for trans people to change their gender.
2010	🇦🇺 Australia	Julia Gillard becomes the first woman Prime Minister.
2013	🇦🇺 Australia	The Sex Discrimination Act is amended to protect people on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation and intersex status.