The rights of women

The following excerpt comes from Avra Theodoropoulou, a leading figure in the Feminist movement in the inter-war period and later. It was published in O Agonas tis Gynaikas, 1928.

'We ask for the right to vote.

  1. For we like men are members of a republic that must be based on the free will of all citizens, men and women...
  2. For the vote is the strongest means by which we can support our special interests as women...
  3. For all the laws concerning children have so far been regulated according to the perception of men and the state will only benefit if the opinion of women - who naturally feel more than men do the needs of children - is given a voice ...
  4. For all the economic matters decided in Parliament are closely related to home economics and the prosperity of the family, and the contribution of women to the solution of these problems would be invaluable due to the experience they possess as housewives.
  5. For with political rights women will acquire the concept of social responsibility that will elevate them morally and will widen their intellectual horizons, and such an elevation of women will definitely raise the overall level of society.'