On this day in 1971, women in Switzerland gained the right to vote in federal elections

On this day in 1971, women in Switzerland gained the right to vote and stand for federal elections after women’s associations organised massive protests sparking a national referendum. Women’s suffrage was approved by 66% of male voters. However, it wasn’t until 1990 that women gained full voting rights, when Appenzell Innerrhoden, the last of the 23 Swiss states to introduce women’s suffrage, had to do so by order of the Federal Supreme Court.

Featured image: Meeting for women’s suffrage, 1 February 1971, Lausanne, Switzerland. Vaud archives / CC BY-SA 1.0

Read more about women’s achievements through history here