Women and Representative Government

First published in 1883, “Women and Representative Government” is an essay by Millicent Garrett Fawcett on the subject of women's social participation and representation in politics. The struggle for women's rights has been a long and hard-fought one, requiring the efforts of innumerable men and women throughout history. One of the most important battlefields in this fight has been that of law, which has acted as both oppressor and liberator of women. In this essay, Fawcett sets out the case for women's suffrage clearly and concisely forty years before women were finally given the vote in the U.K. Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett GBE (1847–1929) was an English writer, political leader, and feminist icon most famous for her contributions to the women's suffrage movement. Concentrating on legislative change, she was the leader of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies between 1897 and 1919. As well as law, Fawcett also helped improve women's rights in Education, co-founding Newnham College, Cambridge, in 1871 and also governing Bedford College, London for a period. Her statue in London's Parliament Square represents the first of its kind dedicated to a women in that location. A powerful piece of history that will appeal to those with an interest in the history of women's rights. Notable works include: “Political Economy for Beginners” (1870), “Essays and Lectures on Social and Political Subjects” (1872), and “Electoral Disabilities of Women: A Lecture” (1872). Read & Co. Great Essays is proud to be republishing this classic essay complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of Millicent Garrett Fawcett.