100 Years of Women in Politics Quiz

Answer: New Zealand

New Zealand was a self-governing British colony when female 'British subjects' over 21 were given the right to vote there in 1893. The legislation included Maori women, but did not cover other minorities, like those of Asian origin. While most women could vote, they were not allowed to stand for election until 1919.

Some women in Britain were entitled to vote after legislation was passed in 1918, and in Lebanon, literate women were permitted to vote in 1952. Saudi Arabian women were first allowed to vote in municipal elections in 2015.

Answer: She had to be at least 30 years old.

When British women were first allowed to vote in 1918, the privilege was not extended to all women. There were strict rules concerning who could and couldn't vote. A woman had to be married and either she or her husband had to have been registered to vote in local elections previously. The couple had to own a certain amount of property in their constituency, too.

The laws on voting had to change after World War I because soldiers who had served abroad for a year or more no longer met the residency criteria. The right to vote was extended to them and the age restriction for men was reduced to 21, or 19 for those working in the armed forces. In 1928, the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act was passed, meaning that all women aged 21 or over could vote, just like men.

Answer: Jeannette Rankin

Jeannette Rankin was sworn in to the House of Representatives in 1917. She immediately faced tough decisions concerning America's involvement in World War I. She toed a fine line between representing women's suffrage and representing the state of Montana.

Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space and Amelia Earhart was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Aretha Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Answer: Ceylon/ Sri Lanka

Sirimavo Bandaranaike was elected Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1960 (the country changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972). She became leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party after the assassination of her husband, who was the previous Prime Minister. The SLFP were victorious at the 1960 General Election and Bandaranaike became the first woman to be elected head of government.

Answer: 1962

The Commonwealth Electoral Act was amended in 1962, entitling all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people - both male and female - to vote in federal elections. In some Australian states, Indigenous women were allowed to vote in either local or national elections (from as early as 1895 in one state), but the entitlement wasn't universal until the 1960s.

In fact, some states had laws designed to exclude Aboriginal people.

Answer: Margaret Thatcher

Thatcher was the first woman to lead a political party in the U.K when she became leader of the Conservative Party in 1975. At the 1979 General Election, the Conservatives won the majority of the seats and Margaret Thatcher became the country's first female prime minister. She remained in the top job for eleven years until she was pressured to resign in 1990.

Thatcher was a divisive politician. She had to face issues like the Falklands War with Argentina and nationwide attacks from the IRA. One of the policies that led to her eventual resignation was the so-called 'poll tax'. Although this gender milestone is attributed to Margaret Thatcher, enabling other women to rise up the political ranks was not high on her agenda, something she has been criticised for since.

Answer: Iceland

During the 20th century, there were fewer female presidents than prime ministers. The election process for each head of state is slightly different. Prime ministers are the leaders of their respective political parties and it is political parties that the public vote for at elections. The members of the winning party (not the public) elect the party leader and therefore the prime minister. Presidents, however, are voted for by the public.

In 1980, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir became the first democratically elected female president in Europe. She served three terms, running unopposed in the last two elections. In 2009, Iceland also became the first government to have an equal number of men and women in office.

Answer: Corazon Aquino

President Ferdinand Marcos ruled the Philippines under Martial Law for 14 years. Corazon Aquino's husband, Benigno, was allegedly assassinated by the regime because he opposed it. Following her husband's death, Corazon ran against Marcos. Marcos was declared the winner, but Aquino claimed that the election had been fixed. Marcos was exiled and in 1986 Aquino became the first female president in Asia.

Answer: First Lady and Senator

Hillary Clinton was First Lady while her husband, Bill Clinton, was President. She was heavily involved in politics - arguably more so than any other First Lady before her. In 2000, she became a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat from New York. Clinton won the election and was sworn in on January 3rd 2001, while her husband was still President.

In 2016, she ran for President herself, but lost the election to Donald Trump.

Answer: Angela Merkel - Spain

Theresa May became Prime Minister of the UK in 2016 after David Cameron resigned. She was the country's second female Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher. In 2015, Bidhya Devi Bhandari became the first female President of Nepal and Sahle-Work Zewde was elected Ethiopia's first female President in 2018. Angela Merkel became Chancellor of Germany (not Spain) in 2005 and ten years later she was "Time" magazine's person of the year for her work in Germany and in the European Union.