Women's Equality Day 2023: Celebrating the struggle for voting rights

August 26 is celebrated as Women's Equality Day, marking the victory of the women's suffarage moment. On this day in 1920, the United States government certified the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution.

Prior to this amendment, a glaring gender-based disparity persisted. Women faced obstacles such as being barred from inheriting property and receiving only half the wages of their male counterparts for similar work. Faced with such profound inequality, American women united in their demand for political rights and representation.

After the amendment was certified, no American state government or the federal government could deny voting rights based on gender.


The gender-based discrimination in the American democratic process stemmed from women's lack of inheritance. In the early 19th century, women were barred from inheriting property and to make it worse, they earned about half of a man's wage, across fields.

It was from these conditions that the women's sufferage movement was born, with American women taking to the streets to demand rights and representation. Countries like Finland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom legalised voting for women as the movement swept across the world.

In 1878, when the US introduced the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, yet it struggled to gain traction and bring about substantial change. It was the aftermath of World War I that breathed fresh life into the movement. Women's noteworthy contributions to the war effort underscored their indispensable role in the economy and society at large. This newfound visibility and significance served as a catalyst for their long-fought battle for political recognition.