Women's Rights Important Dates And Milestones: A Timeline of Women’s rights(1700-1900)
Unlike today,in the past,women did not have rights and there were various things that women were not allowed to do.The timeline below shows the major events in the development of women's rights and the year in which women obtained or were denied their rights in various areas such as education,medicine among others.
Women's Rights Timeline 1700(18th Century)
1718- Gender segregation was banned in Russia while in Sweden women who were taxpaying members of the cities guild were allowed to vote and stand for elections.However this right to vote was banned in 1758 and 1771.In the same year ,in the province of Pennsylvia.married women were allowed to own property in their own names incase their spouses became incapacitated.
1722: There was a ban against force marriages in Russia
1753: Married women in Russia were granted separate economy
First Female Doctor, Dorothea Erxleben
Women's Rights Timeline 1800(19th Century)
1809: Married women in Connecticut,USA, were allowed to execute wills.
1810: The Sweden Parliament confirmed the informal right of an unmarried woman to be declared of legal majority through royal dispensation.
1811: Married business women in Sweden were allowed to make decisions regarding their own affairs without their husband’s consent.In the same year,married women in Sweden were granted separate economy and also allowed to choose profession.
1821: Marrie women in Maine, USA, were allowed to own and manage property in their own name incase their spouse became incapacitated
1827: The profession of becoming a school teacher was opened in Brazil. The first elementary schools for girls was also opened.
1829: Sati was banned in India while in Sweden midwives were allowed to use surgical instruments.
1833: Oberlin College which was the first co-educational university was opened in Ohio,USA.In Guatemala, divorce was legalized .
1835: In Arkansas,Massachusets and Tennessee,USA,married women were allowed to own and manage property in their own names incase their husbands got incapacitated.
1839: Divorced mothers in Great Britain were for the first time granted custody of their children.In Mississippi,USA, married women were granted the right to own property in their own name.
1840: In Texas and Maine,USA.Married women were allowed to own property in their own name
1841: The first secular girls school In Bulgaria,made education and the profession of teacher available for women.
1842: There was compulsory Elementary school for both sexes in Sweden
1843: Married women in Kentucky, USA, were allowed to own and manage property in their own name incase their spouse became incapacitated.
1844: Married women in Maine,USA were granted trade license and in Massachusetts,USA married women were granted separate economy
1845: Sons and daughters in Sweden were granted equal inheritance in the absence of a will while women in New York were granted patent rights
1846: Unmarried women in Sweden had trade and crafts work professions opened for them
1847: Elementary school was opened for both genders in Belgium.In the same year,the first high school for girls and the teaching profession was opened for women.
1848:Married women in New York were granted separate economy by the married women’s property Act
1849: Elizabeth Blackwell from USA became the first female medical doctor.
First Female Medical Doctor, Elizabeth Blackwell
1850: Elementary schools were opened for both sexes in France,but girls could only be tutored by teachers from the church.In Iceland boys and girls were given equal inheritance rights. In Oregon, USA, unmarried women were allowed to own land.
1851: Independent women in Guatamela were granted full citizenship.
1857: In Maine USA, married women were granted the right to control their own earnings
1858:Russia create a gymnasium for girls
1861: Julie-Victoire Daubié from France became the first female student while in Sweden the dentist profession was opened to women.In the same year, Lucy Hobbs Taylor became the first female dentist.
1864:In Sweden husbands were forbidden to abuse their wives and the gymnastics profession was opened for women.
1869: Arabella Mansfield from USA became the first woman to enter the practice of law.
1870: Sweden Universities became open to women with the first female student being Betty Pettersson.
1874: Aletta Jacobs from Netherlands became the first woman allowed to study medicine.In France, the First trade union became open to women.
1886:Korea had the first educational institution for women, Ewha Womans University
1895: Women in upper Canada were allowed to work as barristers. A Women's medical university was also opened in Russia, which opened the profession of physician for women
1898: Women became eligible to public charity board in France.In Haiti, the Medical University accepted female students in obstetrics.
Women's Rights Timeline 1900 (20th Century)
1900: Japan opened the first Women's University.In Germany Universities were open to women
1901:In Sweden women were given four weeks maternity leave.
1924:Denmark had the first ever female minister in Western Europe is appointed where Nina Bang became appointed Minister of Education
1754: There was the first ever female Doctor who is Dorothea Erxleben
1771: Husbands in New york had to consult and have permission from their wives before selling property
1774: Maryland,Husbands had to consult and have permission from their wives before selling property
1776: Women from France who were tailors were allowed to join the guild of tailors
1778: In Sweden,unmarried were allowed to leave their home towns and give birth and register birth anonymously.They were also allowed to have their unmarried status not mentioned in documents which were official so as to avoid social embarrassment.
1786: Russia built Primary and high schools for females
1787: Unmarried women were allowed into the trade profession in Massachusetts
1788: In France Noble widows were allowed to vote to the French States General in the absence of male guardians.In the same year Female citizens in United States of America were allowed to stand for elections for federal offices.However,they were not allowed to vote.
1789: France became the first country in Europe where there was a suggestion that women be in the Assembly of Estates.There were several demands to have women included in the reforms of the right to vote.
1791: Women in France got equal rights to inheritance.This was however abolished in 1804
1792: Divorce was legalized for both sexes in France.However, this was abolished in 1804.In the same year,local women units of defense army were founded in various cities in France,even though women were not officially allowed to join the military
1793: Women’s right to vote was discussed in the Parliament of France.That right was acknowledged but was put aside reason being that the time wasn’t right to make women’s right to vote a reality.
