This is a list of the first female members of parliament in each country and territory. Princess Isabel of Brazil could have become the first female parliamentarian in 1871, as the Brazilian constitution reserved a seat in the Senate for the heir presumptive to the throne once they reached 25 years of age. However, she did not take the seat she was entitled to.[1] Instead, the first female parliamentarians came from the Grand Duchy of Finland, where 19 women were elected to the Eduskunta in 1907.[2] The first female parliamentarian in a fully-independent country was Anna Rogstad of Norway, who took her seat in the Storting as a substitute in 1911,[3] while the first woman directly elected to parliament in an independent country was Jeannette Rankin of the United States, who was elected to the House of Representatives in 1916, taking office the following year.
In some cases – such as Grace Schneiders-Howard of Suriname – women were elected before they had the right to vote, having been granted the right to stand as candidates but not active suffrage.[4] In many cases, the first female parliamentarians were appointed rather than elected members. Only one sovereign country – the Vatican City – has never had a female parliamentarian as membership of the Vatican legislature, the Pontifical Commission, is limited to cardinals, all of whom are men.
List of the first female members of parliament by country
Members are listed by when they took office. The list excludes members of provisional, non-elected legislatures constituted during or following conflicts.
References
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- ^ Mart Martin (2000) The Almanac of Women and Minorities in World Politics, p. 131
- ^ a b c Anna Rogstad – første kvinne på Stortinget i 1911 Storting
- ^ a b Edward Dew (2013) The Difficult Flowering of Surinam: Ethnicity and Politics in a Plural Society p. 53
- ^ Hafizullah Emadi (2008) Establishment of Afghanistan's Parliament and the Role of Women Parliamentarians Retrospect and Prospects Internationales Asienforum, Volume 39, Number 1–2, pp. 5–19
- ^ Sonila Boçi The December 2nd, 1945 Albanian Elections: Legitimization, or Mere Formalization for Communist Power?
- ^ a b c d First Women to Serve in State and Territorial Legislatures NCSL
- ^ First Woman Takes Her Seat In the Parliament of Andorra The New York Times, 28 October 1984
- ^ a b c d e f g Women in Parliaments 1945–1995 Inter-Parliamentary Union
- ^ Women in Politics in Anguilla Caribbean Elections
- ^ Bringing in the sheaves The Anguillan, 28 October 2019
- ^ "The Steelband as Nationalism and Art", The CLR James Journal, volume 8, number 1, Winter 2000–2001, pp. 108–115
- ^ Hon. Jacqui C.Quinn-Leandro, Ph.D OAS
- ^ Primeras diputadas Pagina12
- ^ Conmemoraron el Día Nacional de los Derechos Políticos de la Mujer Parlamentario, 24 September 2009
- ^ The women MPs of the First Republic of Armenia Armenians Today
- ^ Eerste maal in geschiedenis Aruba - mevrouw M. Yrausquin lid van eilandsraad Amigoe, 15 May 1963
- ^ First women in parliament National Museum Australia
- ^ Women in Parliament Austrian National Library
- ^ Gabrielle Hosein & Jane Parpart (2016) Negotiating Gender, Policy and Politics in the Caribbean: Feminist Strategies, Masculinist Resistance and Transformational Possibilities, p. 30
- ^ المرأة البحرينية.. مناصب قيادية مهمة أكدت جدارتها واستحقاقها Al Watan
- ^ The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Volume 1
- ^ a b Farida Shaheed (1998) Shaping Women's Lives: Laws, Practices and Strategies in Pakistan, p. 323
- ^ First constitute assembly from 1947-1954 National Assembly of Pakistan
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- ^ Karl van den Broeck (2018) Doctor Ferdinand Peeters: The Real Father of the Pill p. 19
- ^ 54 years of political history – 1954 to 2008 Amandala, 18 January 2008
- ^ Marie-Odile Attanasso (2012) Femmes et pouvoir politique au Benin des origines Dahomeennes a nos jours Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
- ^ Hilda Doris Aitken Bermuda Biographies
- ^ First woman councilor, Leki Pemo passes away Kuensel Online, 25 March 2019
- ^ "MUJERES BOLIVIANAS: DESDE EL PARLAMENTO HASTA LA ASAMBLEA LEGISLATIVA PLURINACIONAL | CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES SOCIALES" (in Spanish). p. 69. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ History of Parliament Parliament of Botswana
- ^ Direito de voto feminino completa 76 anos no Brasil; saiba mais sobre essa conquista Folha da Sao Paulo, 24 February 2008
- ^ a b Eugenia O'Neal (2001) From the Field to the Legislature: A History of Women in the Virgin Islands, pp. 87, 128
- ^ Two women are appointed to Legco The Economist Intelligence Unit
- ^ Martin, pp. 53–54
- ^ Palingwindé Inès Zoé Lydia Rouamba (2011) La participation des femmes à la vie politique au Burkina (1957–2009)
- ^ Tong Siv Eng, Political Pioneer, Mourned The Cambodian Daily, 18 June 2001
- ^ Who's who in Nigeria, 1956, p. 164
- ^ a b Jacqueline-Bethel Tchouta Mougoué (2019) Gender, Separatist Politics, and Embodied Nationalism in Cameroon pp. 43–44
- ^ Martin, p. 63
- ^ Ragnhild L. Muriaas, Vibeke Wang & Rainbow Murray (2019)
Gendered Electoral Financing: Money, Power and Representation in Comparative Perspective p. 93
- ^ Honouring Distinguished Women Government Information Services
- ^ New National Heroes Cayman Islands Government
- ^ Richard Bradshaw & Juan Fandos-Rius (2016) Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic p. 640
- ^ Tchad : l’éternel second rôle féminin Jeune Afrique, 5 April 2012
- ^ Simon Collier (2004) A History of Chile, 1808-2002 p. 287
- ^ Patti Gully (2008) Sisters of Heaven: China's Barnstorming Aviatrixes : Modernity, Feminism, and Popular Imagination in Asia and the West, p. 233
- ^ Ran Lu (2008) Paradox of Legal Reform under the Kuomintang Regime in Mainland China, a Case Study in Judicial Reform and Legal Modernisation under an Authoritarian regime (1928-1948)
- ^ Esmeralda abrió El Camino a la mujer El Tiempo, 20 April 1997
- ^ Douze femmes, douze parcours exceptionnels Commissariat National de la Solidarité de la Protection Social et de la Promotion du Genre
- ^ Le regard de Mambou Aimée Gnali sur le livre de Martin Mbéri La Semaine Africaine, 20 December 2011
- ^ Cook Islands CEDAW Report: The Status of Women in the Cook Islands, p. 19
- ^ First women MPs on Legislative Assembly Cook Islands News, 17 March 2017
- ^ Martin, p. 92
- ^ Velia Cecilia Bobes (2007) La nación inconclusa: (Re) constituciones de la ciudadanía y la identidad nacional en Cuba p. 236
- ^ Vrouwenkiesrecht op de voormalige Nederlandse Antillen Atria, 2 May 2019
- ^ Martin, p. 100
- ^ Aleš Ziegler (2011) Úloha ţen v prvních československých parlamentních volbách roku 1920, pp. 85, 101
- ^ Francisca de Haan, Krasimira Daskalova, Anna Loutfi (2006) Biographical Dictionary of Women's Movements and Feminisms in Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe: 19th and 20th Centuries p. 601
- ^ a b c Sybil Oldfield (2003) International Woman Suffrage: October 1916–September 1918 p. 380
- ^ H.M. Kong Christian X's tale ved Rigsdagens åbning 1918 Danske Taler
- ^ Daher Ahmed Farah (2018) Savoir et pouvoir dans le contexte de Djibouti : des configurations éducatives entre constructions de savoir et relations de pouvoir CNAM
- ^ Women in Politics in Dominica Caribbean Elections
- ^ Julien Moritzen (1943) Political Emancipation of Women in the Dominican Republic Bulletin of the Pan American Union, Volume 77, pp. 149–154
- ^ Manuela Lavinas Picq (2018) Vernacular Sovereignties: Indigenous Women Challenging World Politics p. 184
- ^ Martin, p. 119
- ^ Hacia la participación política de las mujeres en El Salvador Legislative Assembly
- ^ Martin, p. 123
- ^ Anna Leetsman National Library of Estonia
- ^ Christian P. Potholm (2021) Swaziland: The Dynamics of Political Modernization, 127
- ^ "Leave no woman behind in political decision-making" Gender Links, 23 March 2018
- ^ Toolkit for Gender Sensitive Electoral Education Women and Law Southern Africa
- ^ a b Kathleen Sheldon (2016) Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa pxxiv
- ^ "Council changes", Crown Colonnist, June 1950
- ^ More political history Penguin News, 20 November 2009
- ^ Pioneering women in Faroese politics Faroe Islands
- ^ Mrs Narayan And Loloma Livingston Fiji Sun, 31 July 2011
- ^ The first women Members of Parliament in Finland, 1907-1908 University of Helsinki
- ^ Les femmes élues députées depuis 1945 National Assembly
- ^ Les élus de l’assemblée territoriale Assembly of French Polynesia
- ^ PORTRAITS : Virginie Ambougou et Antoinette Tsono premières femmes députées au Gabon Echos du Nord
- ^ Arnold Hughes & David Perfect (2008) Historical Dictionary of The Gambia pp. 244–245
- ^ Georgian archive showcases women in politics in 1919-1921 Agenda, 16 March 2015
- ^ Vor 100 Jahren: Reichswahlgesetz führt das Frauenwahlrecht ein Bundestag
- ^ Walter S. G. Kohn (1980) Women in National Legislatures: A Comparative Study of Six Countries, p. 141
- ^ Stephen Constantine (2013) Community and identity: The making of modern Gibraltar since 1704 p. 680
- ^ On this Day: Eleni Skoura becomes Greece's first female MP Greek Herald, 18 January 2021
- ^ Women in Politics in Grenada Caribbean Elections
- ^ Rosa Aguigui Reyes Guampedia
- ^ La primera diputada guatemalteca Revista Petra, 19 January 2020
- ^ Birger Poppel (2015) SLiCA: Arctic living conditions: Living conditions and quality of life among Inuit, Saami and indigenous peoples of Chukotka and the Kola Peninsula p. 307
- ^ 1900s Guernsey Museums
- ^ Historical information events & dates on the Parliament of Guyana from 1718 to 2006 Parliament of Guyana
- ^ First Women Deputies Sits In Unicameral Haiti Sun, 14 May 1961
- ^ Elections and Events 1948-1964 The Library, San Diego
- ^ "The first" in Legislative Council history Legislative Council of Hong Kong
- ^ De Haan et al., p. 522
- ^ Reykjavik's newest landmark Iceland Monitor, 20 June 2015
- ^ Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, H. C. Raychaudhuri & Kalikinkar Datta (1961) An Advanced History of India: Modern India, p. 979
- ^ Henk Schulte Nordholt (1997) Outward Appearances: Dressing State and Society in Indonesia, p. 174
- ^ Lois Beck & Guity Nashat (2004) Women in Iran from 1800 to the Islamic Republic, p. 141
- ^ Women in Tynwald Tynwald
- ^ Martin, p. 193
- ^ Teresa Serra (2012) La nottola di Minerva II: atti del sabato del Centro per la filosofia italiana, Monte Compatri p. 97
- ^ Le RDR exprime sa compassion au PDCI et solidarité au RHDP aToo, 3 October 2017
- ^ Jacqueline A. Coore-Hal (2020) Feminist Advocacy and Activism in State Institutions: Investigating the Representation of Women's Issues and Concerns in the Jamaican Legislature p. 21
- ^ Otsuka Kiyoe (2008) Japanese Women's Legislative and Administrative Reforms in the Postwar Era Bulletin of the Faculty of Education, Kagoshima University
- ^ Anne E. Imamura (1996) Re-Imaging Japanese Women, p. 273
- ^ History of women's suffrage in Jersey States of Jersey
- ^ Ghada Hashem Talhami (2013) Historical Dictionary of Women in the Middle East and North Africa pxxix
- ^ 1989 marked start of women's involvement in parliamentary life as candidates — SIGI The Jordna Times, 20 November 2016
- ^ Name: FARRAR, Sidney Mary Catherine Anne MBE, Lady Europeans in East Africa
- ^ New-look Gilbert and Ellice politics may spark ailing public interest Pacific Islands Monthly, May 1971, p. 24
- ^ First women elected to Kuwait parliament The Guardian, 18 May 2009
- ^ Crossroads, volume 9, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, p. 107
- ^ Blanca Rodriguez Ruiz & Ruth Rubio-Marín (2012) The Struggle for Female Suffrage in Europe p. 102
- ^ William Harris (2012) Lebanon: A History, 600 - 2011 p. 56
- ^ Martin, p. 229
- ^ Richard A. Henries, A. Doris Banks Henries (1966) Liberia, the West African Republic, p. 135
- ^ Elwood D. Dunn, Amos J. Beyan & Carl Patrick Burrowes (2000) Historical Dictionary of Liberia p. 293
- ^ Women voted for the first time in Liechtenstein over... UPI, 3 February 1986
- ^ Europą pribloškęs moterų desantas Steigiamajame Seime Klaipeda Diena, 24 May 2020
- ^ Women in politics RTL Today
- ^ Des femmes en quête de voix EISA
- ^ Amandina Lihamba, Fulata Lusungu Moyo, Mugaybuso M. Mulokozi & Naomi L. Shitemi (2007) Women Writing Africa: The eastern region, p. 215
- ^ Assorted measures needed to empower women Penang Monthly, February 2015
- ^ Female parliamentarians: Setting the bar for future generations The Edition, 28 March 2019
- ^ Martin, p. 249
- ^ Martin, p. 251
- ^ First Woman Wins Seat in Election Highlights, 15 November 1974, p. 1
- ^ Juan Carlos Suárez Villegas (2016) Comunicación, género y educación.Representaciones y (de)construcciones p. 140
- ^ Martin, p. 256
- ^ Dr. Konman Seated as First Woman in the FSM Congress Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia, 31 December 2021
- ^ Droit de vote des femmes: « pas un combat féministe » Monaco Hebdo, 23 January 2013
- ^ Howard A. Fergus (1985) Rule Britannia, Politics in British Montserrat, p. 67
- ^ Susan Franceschet, Mona Lena Krook, Jennifer M. Piscopo & Jennifer M Piscopo (2012) The Impact of Gender Quotas p. 86
- ^ Martin, p. 267
- ^ John LeRoy Christian (1945) Burma and the Japanese Invader, p. 71
- ^ Nauruan Women in Leadership Practice Parliament Workshop Pacific Women
- ^ Stéphanie Tawa Lama-Rewal (2004) Femmes et politique en Inde et au Népal pp. 92–93
- ^ Martin, p. 272
- ^ Premières femmes élues Congress of New Caledonia
- ^ Elizabeth McCombs New Zealand History
- ^ Victoria González-Rivera (2011) Before the Revolution: Women's Rights and Right-wing Politics in Nicaragua, 1821-1979 p. 73
- ^ Alice J. Kang (2015) Bargaining for Women's Rights: Activism in an Aspiring Muslim Democracy, p. 117
- ^ Oloyede Oluyemi Monitoring participation of women in politics in Nigeria
- ^ Martin, pp. 287–288
- ^ No Rex dynasty for Niue Pacific Islands Monthly, June 1975, p. 9
- ^ Wilma Rule & Joseph Francis Zimmerman (1994) Electoral Systems in Comparative Perspective: Their Impact on Women and Minorities, p. 64
- ^ Women join Oman council The Independent, 25 November 1997
- ^ Omani woman who blazed a trail into the State Council passes away Times of Oman, 6 February 2017
- ^ Farida Shaheed (2002) Imagined Citizenship: Women, State & Politics in Pakistan, p. 189
- ^ Sangh Mittra & Bachchan Kumar Encyclopaedia of Women in South Asia: Pakistan p. 56
- ^ Martin, p. 297
- ^ The Political Participation of Palestinian Women in Official and Non-Official Organizations in Limited Horizon ICSR
- ^ Neira de Calvo y Gumercinda Páez: mujeres que apoyaron a otras mujeres La Estrella de Panamá, 6 January 2019
- ^ Booth, Doris Regina (1895–1970) Australian Dictionary of Biography
- ^ Partidos políticos y participación política de las mujeres en Paraguay CDE
- ^ Primeras Mujeres Parlamentarias 1956-1962 Congress of Peru
- ^ Election day on Pitcairn Pacific Islands Monthly, February 1974, p. 11
- ^ Filipinos Elect Nurse to House; Elisa Rosales Ochoa Is First Woman to Win Place in Newly Created Congress The New York Times, 23 November 1941
- ^ a b Ingrid Sharp & Matthew Stibbe (2011) Aftermaths of War: Women's Movements and Female Activists, 1918–1923, p. 280
- ^ 100 remarkable women from Polish history to celebrate 100 years of women's suffrage Krakow Post, 28 November 2018
- ^ Women in politics – Portugal as a case study CESA
- ^ a b Qatar appoints four women to Shura Council Al Jazeera, 9 November 2017
- ^ Qatar’s first legislative elections see 63.5% voter turnout as women fail to break through Doha News, 3 October 2021
- ^ 18 nő parlamenti Erdély
- ^ A munkasmozgalom elharcosai Erdély
- ^ Rochelle Goldberg Ruthchild (2010) Equality and Revolution p. 235
- ^ Gretchen Bauer & Josephine Dawuni (2015) Gender and the Judiciary in Africa: From Obscurity to Parity? p. 203
- ^ Ambassador Her Excellency Constance V Mitcham to be Honoured at Annual SPBS Awards Gala Times Caribbean, 23 August 2015
- ^ Women In Law – Marie Grace Augustin The Voice, 9 March 2015
- ^ Women in Politics in Saint Lucia Caribbean Elections
- ^ Women in Politics in St. Vincent and the Grenadines Caribbean Elections
- ^ (2) W. Samoa Pacific Islands Monthly, February 1970, p. 26
- ^ Relazione Commissione Pari Opportunità sulla rappresentatività di genere, intervento di Vanessa D’Ambrosio SSD
- ^ L'ultimo saluto a Marina Busignani Reffi RTV, 22 March 2006
- ^ Martin, pp. 332–333
- ^ a b Saudi Arabia's king appoints women to Shura Council BBC News, 11 January 2013
- ^ Oyeronke Oyewumi (2016) African Gender Studies: A Reader p. 234
- ^ F.E. MacGregor (2004) A Parliamentary History of Seychelles, pp. 17, 118
- ^ Martin, p. 340
- ^ Martin, p. 341
- ^ Rodriguez Ruiz & Rubio-Marín, p. 237
- ^ Martin, p. 348
- ^ A long walk to universal franchise in South Africa Helen Suzman Foundation
- ^ 해방정국 1호 여성 법안은 ‘공창제 폐지’였다 Women's News, 30 May 2019
- ^ Susan Franceschet, Mona Lena Krook, Netina Tan (2018) The Palgrave Handbook of Women's Political Rights p. 628
- ^ a b Martin, p. 356
- ^ Martin, p. 358
- ^ Hashem Talhami, pxxvii
- ^ Martin, p. 368
- ^ Späte Blüte am Baum der Demokratie NZZ, 4 February 2011
- ^ برلمانيات سوريات... جهان موصلي بقلم د. نورا أريسيان Parliament of Syria
- ^ Martin, p. 371
- ^ Report by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations on the Administration of Tanganyika, 1955, p. 22
- ^ Celebrating the Thai female heroes you probably didn't know about Thai Enquirer, 11 March 2020
- ^ Togo/ L’évolution de la « parité » au Parlement (Reportage photo) AfriquInfos, 21 August 2013
- ^ Ian Christopher Campbell (2001) Island Kingdom: Tonga Ancient and Modern, p. 281
- ^ Bridget Brereton (1996) An Introduction to the History of Trinidad and Tobago p. 97
- ^ Ms. Isabel Teshea, MP Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago
- ^ Franceschet et al., p. 519
- ^ We Remember: First 17 women elected to Turkish Parliament, 8 February 1935 T-Vine, 8 February 2020
- ^ Dr Rosita Beatrice Missick Butterfield House of Assembly
- ^ Women Need Support to Overcome Barriers Entering Parliament Solomon Times, 11 May 2010
- ^ a b Aili Mari Tripp (2012) Women and Politics in Uganda p. 39
- ^ Woman & The Parlament United Arab Emirates
- ^ Sheikh Khalifa: UAE's Federal National Council to be 50 per cent women The National, 8 December 2018
- ^ Asuncion Lavrin (1998) Women, Feminism, and Social Change in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, 1890-1940 p. 223
- ^ Higher duties in Solomons and New Hebrides Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1966, p. 11
- ^ María del Mar Álvarez (2010) Historia de lucha de la mujer venezolana p. 107
- ^ The first general election of the National Assembly Vietnam Law and Legal Forum, 29 January 2011
- ^ Mona Lena Krook & Pär Zetterberg (2017) Gender Quotas and Women's Representation: New Directions in Research, p. 12
- ^ Janine A. Clark (2004) Islam, Charity, and Activism: Middle-Class Networks and Social Welfare in Egypt, Jordan, and Yemen, p. 194
