Women’s Right to Vote in Belgium
Women’s Day Belgium / March 27, (1948)
Allied women in Paris to plead for international suffrage. Women, representing Allied Nations, 27 February 1919 – Fourth row: Mme. Brigode (Belgium); Marie Paunt (Belgium); Miss Nevia Boyle (South Africa); Mlle. Van den Plas (Belgium).
Introduction
Belgium’s path to women’s suffrage represents one of the more protracted struggles for electoral equality in Western Europe. Despite being an early industrialized nation with a relatively progressive constitution, Belgium was remarkably slow to grant women full voting rights. The journey spans from the country’s independence in 1830 through two world wars, reflecting complex political, religious, and social dynamics unique to Belgian society. This article traces the evolution of women’s suffrage in Belgium, highlighting key dates, pivotal figures, and the socio-political context that shaped this important democratic development.
The First Milestone: May 27, 1919
The first significant but limited breakthrough in Belgian women’s suffrage came on May 27, 1919, when a law was passed granting limited voting rights to specific categories of women. This legislation allowed voting rights in national legislative elections to:
- Widows of soldiers who died in World War I
- Widows of Belgian civilians killed by the enemy during the war
- Women who had been imprisoned or deported by the enemy during the occupation
These limited suffrage rights were granted as recognition of women’s sacrifices and contributions during World War I, rather than as an acknowledgment of women’s inherent political equality. The law represented a partial and symbolic enfranchisement that affected only a small percentage of Belgian women.
The Long Path to Full Suffrage
Although Belgian women gained limited municipal voting rights in 1920, full and equal suffrage would not be realized until much later:
Municipal Voting Rights: 1920
On April 15, 1920, all Belgian women aged 21 and older gained the right to vote in municipal elections. However, this did not extend to provincial or legislative elections. Women could be elected to municipal councils but could not become mayors or aldermen (members of municipal executive boards).
Partial Political Participation: 1921-1948
During this period, women could:
- Vote in municipal elections
- Stand as candidates in all elections (municipal, provincial, and legislative)
- Be appointed to the Senate
Despite being eligible for election to Parliament, women still could not vote in provincial or legislative elections, creating the paradoxical situation where women could be elected to positions they could not vote for.
Full Suffrage: March 27, 1948
After decades of advocacy and resistance, Belgian women finally gained full voting rights on March 27, 1948, when the Belgian Parliament passed the law granting women the right to vote in all elections on the same terms as men. The first election in which Belgian women participated with full voting rights was held on June 26, 1949.
Belgium was one of the last Western European countries to grant women full suffrage, doing so nearly three decades after neighboring countries like the Netherlands (1919) and decades after feminist pioneers like New Zealand (1893) and Finland (1906).
Key Figures in Belgium’s Suffrage Movement
Marie Popelin (1846-1913)
Often considered the founder of Belgian feminism, Marie Popelin was a pioneering lawyer and educator, who became the first Belgian woman to earn a law degree in 1888. However, she was barred from practicing law due to her gender. This injustice galvanized her to establish the Belgian League for Women’s Rights (Ligue belge du droit des femmes) in 1892 with lawyer Louis Frank.
Popelin focused on legal reforms, educational opportunities, and suffrage. Though she did not live to see Belgian women gain voting rights, her organizational work laid essential foundations for later advances.
Léonie La Fontaine (1857-1949)
The sister of Nobel Peace Prize winner Henri La Fontaine, Léonie was a prominent feminist who served as the president of the Belgian League for Women’s Rights. She was also closely involved with the international peace movement, connecting Belgian feminism to broader international currents of women’s activism.
La Fontaine lived long enough to witness full women’s suffrage in Belgium, having dedicated over 50 years to the cause. Her persistence across decades exemplifies the determination required to achieve this democratic milestone.
Louise van den Plas (1877-1968)
Founding the Catholic feminist organization “Féminisme chrétien de Belgique” (Christian Feminism of Belgium) in 1902, van den Plas represented an important current in Belgian feminism that worked within Catholic frameworks. This was particularly significant in Belgium, where the Catholic Church held considerable influence.
Van den Plas advocated for women’s education, improved working conditions, and eventually suffrage, but did so by arguing that these rights would strengthen rather than undermine women’s traditional roles. Her approach helped make feminist ideas more palatable to conservative elements in Belgian society.
Jane Brigode (1870-1952)
A key figure in liberal feminism in Belgium, Brigode co-founded the Belgian Federation for Women’s Suffrage (Fédération belge pour le suffrage des femmes) in 1913. She worked particularly on mobilizing liberal political forces in support of women’s voting rights, providing crucial leadership during and after World War I when the suffrage movement gained momentum.
Marthe Boël (1877-1956)
Serving as president of the National Council of Belgian Women from 1934 to 1952, Boël played a critical role in the final push for women’s suffrage after World War II. Her leadership during and after the war helped transform women’s war contributions into political capital for enfranchisement.
Political Context and Party Positions
Belgium’s delayed implementation of women’s suffrage cannot be understood without examining the unique political dynamics at play:
Catholic Party Support
Paradoxically, the Catholic Party (later the Christian Social Party) became the strongest supporter of women’s suffrage, though for strategic rather than ideological reasons. Catholic leaders believed that women, being more religious than men, would strengthen their party’s position against the Liberals and Socialists. This calculation proved largely correct when women eventually gained voting rights.
Liberal and Socialist Opposition
In a reversal of patterns seen in many other countries, liberal and socialist parties in Belgium often opposed women’s suffrage. Despite their progressive platforms on other issues, they feared that enfranchising women would benefit the Catholic Party and undermine secular policies. This political calculus significantly delayed universal suffrage.
Language Divides
Belgium’s complex linguistic and regional politics also affected the suffrage movement. The Flemish-Walloon divide sometimes complicated organizing efforts, though women’s organizations generally managed to maintain unity across linguistic lines on the suffrage question.
World Wars as Catalysts for Change
Both world wars played decisive roles in advancing women’s suffrage in Belgium:
World War I (1914-1918)
The German occupation of Belgium during World War I radically transformed Belgian society. Women took on new roles in the workforce, resistance, and civil society. This practical demonstration of citizenship created new arguments for political rights. The limited suffrage granted in 1919 directly acknowledged women’s wartime contributions.
World War II (1940-1945)
The second global conflict further altered gender relations. Women’s participation in resistance movements, workforce contributions, and the general disruption of traditional social patterns strengthened demands for full political equality. After liberation, women’s suffrage became increasingly difficult to oppose, particularly as other European countries moved toward greater gender equality.
The full enfranchisement of women in 1948 came as part of broader democratic reforms following World War II, when Belgium was rebuilding its political institutions and integrating into new international structures that emphasized democratic values.
The First Women in Belgian Politics
Even before gaining full voting rights, several Belgian women made history by entering political institutions:
Lucie Dejardin (1875-1945)
In 1929, Dejardin became the first directly elected woman in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, representing the Socialist Party. A former worker who had been deported to Germany during World War I, she focused on labor issues and women’s rights during her political career.
Marie Janson (1873-1960)
In 1921, Janson became the first woman to enter the Belgian Senate, co-opted by the Socialist Party. Despite not being directly elected (as women could not yet vote in Senate elections), she used her position to advocate for social reforms and women’s rights.
Isabelle Blume (1892-1975)
Elected to Parliament in 1936 as a Socialist, Blume became known for her pacifism and internationalism. She was one of the few women in Belgian politics before full suffrage was achieved.
After full suffrage was implemented in 1948, women’s presence in Belgian politics increased gradually:
- The 1949 election saw the first significant number of women voting
- In 1965, Marguerite De Riemaecker-Legot became Belgium’s first female minister
- In 1974, Nelly Maes became the first woman elected to the European Parliament
Belgium in European Context
Belgium’s delayed implementation of women’s suffrage placed it among the last Western European nations to grant full voting rights to women:
- Finland: 1906
- Norway: 1913
- Denmark: 1915
- Netherlands: 1919
- United Kingdom: 1918 (partial) and 1928 (full)
- France: 1944
- Italy: 1945
- Belgium: 1948
- Greece: 1952
- Switzerland: 1971 (federal level)
This timeline reveals Belgium’s unusual position—despite being an early constitutional monarchy with relatively progressive institutions in other respects, it lagged significantly in women’s enfranchisement.
The Catholic Factor
The influence of Catholicism on Belgian women’s suffrage deserves special attention. Unlike in some other Catholic countries where the Church opposed women’s political participation, in Belgium, Catholic organizations eventually became advocates for women’s voting rights, albeit for strategic reasons.
The Catholic Women’s Guild (Gildes des femmes catholiques), founded in 1906, and Christian Workers’ Movement women’s leagues mobilized significant numbers of women, preparing them for eventual political participation while also ensuring their allegiance to Catholic principles.
When women finally gained full voting rights in 1948, Catholic women’s organizations had built extensive networks that helped translate women’s votes into political influence for Christian Democratic parties. The first elections with women’s participation confirmed Catholic leaders’ predictions that women would strengthen their political position.
Impact on Belgian Politics
The introduction of women’s suffrage in 1948 had several notable effects on Belgian politics:
- Strengthened Christian Democrats: As anticipated, the Christian Social Party (PSC-CVP) benefited significantly from women’s votes in the immediate post-suffrage period
- Gradual policy shifts: Issues related to family welfare, education, and healthcare gained greater prominence on the political agenda
- Delayed impact on representation: Despite having voting rights, women remained underrepresented in political offices for decades; genuine parity would not be approached until the late 20th and early 21st centuries
- Integrated with other democratic reforms: Women’s suffrage coincided with broader improvements in Belgian democratic institutions after World War II
Modern Developments and Gender Parity Laws
In the decades following full women’s suffrage, Belgium has implemented various measures to increase women’s political participation:
- 1994: The first gender quota law required political parties to have at least 33% women on their candidate lists
- 2002: Constitutional amendment established the principle of equal access for men and women to elected and public mandates
- 2011-2012: Legislation required “zipper system” alternating between male and female candidates on electoral lists
These measures have significantly increased women’s representation in Belgian politics:
- By 2019, women constituted 43% of the federal Chamber of Representatives
- In 2019, Belgium achieved gender parity in its federal government for the first time
- In 2020, Sophie Wilmès became Belgium’s first female prime minister
Regional Variations
Belgium’s federal structure has created interesting variations in women’s political participation across regions:
- The Brussels-Capital Region has generally seen higher female representation
- Wallonia and Flanders have sometimes differed in implementation of gender equality measures
- Local politics at the municipal level often lagged behind federal institutions in women’s representation
These regional differences reflect Belgium’s complex political structure and cultural variations between different parts of the country.
Legacy and Continued Challenges
The long struggle for women’s suffrage in Belgium left several important legacies:
- Democratic consolidation: The achievement of women’s suffrage represented a crucial completion of Belgium’s democratic system
- Women’s organizational capacity: The decades of organizing created enduring women’s organizations that continued to advocate for gender equality in other domains
- Demonstration of strategic politics: The Belgian suffrage movement showed how women could navigate complex political environments even when major political forces opposed their enfranchisement
Despite these advances, contemporary Belgian women still face challenges including:
- Persistent wage gaps between men and women
- Underrepresentation in business leadership positions
- Work-life balance issues
- Continued concerns about gender-based violence
The ongoing efforts to address these issues build on the foundation established by the suffrage movement, reflecting how political rights provide a necessary but not sufficient condition for full gender equality.
Women’s Right to Vote in Belgium: A Long Journey to Political Equality
The path to women’s suffrage in Belgium was neither quick nor straightforward. From Marie Popelin’s founding of the Belgian League for Women’s Rights in 1892 to the achievement of full voting rights on March 27, 1948, Belgian women and their allies waged a persistent campaign against entrenched political opposition.
The Belgian case offers important insights into how women’s enfranchisement interacts with broader political dynamics. Unlike in many other countries, the main opposition to women’s suffrage came not from conservative forces but from liberal and socialist parties concerned about Catholic influence. This paradox highlights how democratic principles sometimes conflicted with political calculations, delaying the extension of basic rights.
Today, Belgium has transformed from a laggard in women’s political rights to a leader in gender parity measures. This remarkable evolution demonstrates how societies can overcome historical barriers to equality through persistent advocacy, strategic alliances, and institutional reforms. The journey from exclusion to inclusion, though longer than in many comparable nations, ultimately strengthened Belgian democracy and expanded the meaning of citizenship for all Belgians.
As Belgium continues to navigate complex questions of identity, governance, and equality in the 21st century, the hard-won achievement of women’s suffrage remains both a historical milestone and an ongoing inspiration for further progress toward full equality.
Belgian Federal Public Servive Foreign affairs
Gender and women’s rights
Action by Belgium and the United Nations (UN)
The UN has a Commission on the Status of Women that deals both with issues to do with being female as well as ‘gender mainstreaming’ (i.e. taking account of the gender dimension in various policies and actions). The Commission is also responsible for monitoring compliance with the Declaration and the Action Programme adopted in Beijing and ensuring their implementation. Belgium has been an active member of the Commission for several (consecutive) years and also chaired it between 2007 and 2009. This commitment demonstrates the high importance attributed by our country to this problematic and multifaceted issue. The UN General Assembly also discusses several resolutions on the rights of women and girls. Belgium is calling for the promotion and protection of women’s rights within the framework of the resolutions adopted by various UN bodies, like the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council and various specialist UN agencies and funds. First and foremost, Belgium wants to ensure that sexual and reproductive rights are respected and to combat impunity and guarantee good governance, in a bid to safeguard women’s rights to protection and development. Belgium also attributes great importance to the mandate of the UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women.
Action by Belgium and the European Union
The promotion and protection of women’s rights is a priority for Belgium and the European Union. Our country has had an Institute for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men (IEFH/IGVM since 2002, charged to make sure that such equality is respected in Belgium and to combat any discrimination in this connection. The European Union has also adopted various instruments designed to counter violence and discrimination against women in third countries. Belgium and the European Union regularly raise the issues of women’s rights and discriminatory laws and practices in their dealings with third countries.
Furthermore, Belgium supports a number of initiatives designed to promote and protect both women’s rights and gender mainstreaming within other regional organisations, like the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
› diplomatie.belgium.be/en/policy/policy-areas/human-rights/specific-themes/gender-and-womens-rights