What were the consequences?

Votes for women: Spain 1931

With the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in April 1931, the political equality of men and women was granted by the approval of the new constitution. Left republicans, radicals and radical socialists were against giving women the vote because they feared women were not yet independent enough from the church and that their votes would go to right-wing candidates, thereby endangering the existence of the Republic. But equal electoral rights for all citizens over the age of 23 was adopted. In the first election where women could vote, in 1933, right-wing parties were victorious.

The Spanish radical-socialist Victoria Kent was one of the main opponents against women's suffrage in 1931. During the debate in October 1931, she argued against women gaining the vote in Spain. This was not, Kent said, because women were incapable but because it was necessary for the "political convenience of the left".





