suffragette

Everyday

1. A suffragette was a woman, especially in Britain about a hundred years ago, who campaigned, often with bold protests, for women to have the right to vote in elections. tree →
2. More widely, a suffragette or suffragist is anyone who fought for women's votes. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons the suffragettes (Emmeline Pankhurst and others) are taught as part of how democracy grew in the UK; they marched, chained themselves to railings and were sent to prison. Women in Britain got the vote step by step after their campaigns. New Zealand was the first country where women could vote in national elections. «Suffrage» means the right to vote.

Examples

• The suffragettes wanted women to be allowed to vote. tree →
• Emmeline Pankhurst was a famous suffragette. tree →
• Some suffragettes were sent to prison for protesting. tree →
• Suffragettes wore purple, white and green. tree →
• Our class read about suffragettes in history. tree →
• The suffragette chained herself to the railings. tree →
• Thanks to the suffragettes and others, women in Britain can vote today. tree →

Note

Countable: suffragettes. «Suffrage» means the right to vote; it has nothing to do with «suffer», although they sound similar. «Suffragist» is often used for campaigners who used only peaceful methods.