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Women’s Rights in The UK, 19 Shocking Dates

With each milestone reached, slowly the UK became a different place

2 min readDec 6, 2022

Once a woman married, all her possessions became her husband’s until the law changed in 1870
Women were not allowed to vote until 1918
Female teachers were sacked when they got married until 1944
Women subjected to violence and abuse had nowhere to go until the first refuge opened in 1972
Women had little chance of controlling their fertility until the contraceptive pill became available on the NHS in 1974
It was illegal for women to have an abortion unless she was at risk of dying until 1976
Women had little legal protection from domestic violence through civil courts until 1977
The first female Prime Minister was elected in 1979
Married women needed their husband's permission to apply for a loan or credit until the law changed in 1980
It was legal for bars and pubs to refuse to serve women until 1982
It was legal for women to be paid less than men for the same work until 1985
There had never been a black woman member of the house of parliament until Diane Abbott was elected in…