Which country was among the first to grant full suffrage to women around the turn of the 20th century?

Which country was among the first to grant full suffrage to women around the turn of the 20th century?

• A. United States
• B. United Kingdom
• C. Australia
• D. Canada

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how early women won the right to vote in a country’s system. In Australia, progress happened in stages that moved quickly around the turn of the century. Even before federation, one colony, South Australia, granted women the right to vote and to stand for Parliament in 1894. Then, when the Commonwealth of Australia was formed, the national government passed the 1902 Commonwealth Franchise Act, extending the vote in federal elections to women. This combination of early state victory followed by federal reform puts Australia among the first nations to provide widespread electoral rights for women around that time. It’s useful to remember that Indigenous women faced exclusions in 1902, so the scope of “full suffrage” wasn’t universal at first, and other countries like the United States and the United Kingdom extended their own suffrage later.

The key idea is how early women won the right to vote in a country’s system. In Australia, progress happened in stages that moved quickly around the turn of the century. Even before federation, one colony, South Australia, granted women the right to vote and to stand for Parliament in 1894. Then, when the Commonwealth of Australia was formed, the national government passed the 1902 Commonwealth Franchise Act, extending the vote in federal elections to women. This combination of early state victory followed by federal reform puts Australia among the first nations to provide widespread electoral rights for women around that time. It’s useful to remember that Indigenous women faced exclusions in 1902, so the scope of “full suffrage” wasn’t universal at first, and other countries like the United States and the United Kingdom extended their own suffrage later.