Who is shining a torch for women today?

The general election of 14 December 1918 saw the first votes cast by women in the UK.

It was also the first time that women were eligible to stand for election as an MP.

The 1918 Representation of the People Act had given women the vote a few months earlier - but only for those who owned property and were over 30 years old. It wasn't until 1928 that all women over the age of 21 could cast their vote.

100 years on, Woman's Hour asked guests Saoirse Ronan, Lily Allen, Chelsea Clinton, Pearl Mackie, Meshel Laurie, Jo Swinson, Charlotte Church and Lesley Manville who they think is shining a torch for women's rights today?

Woman's Hour broadcast live from the Houses of Parliament on Friday 14 December to mark the first time some UK women voted in a general election. If you missed it on BBC Radio 4 at 10am, you can listen back to the programme via our website.

  • Subsection
  • Published