Female rates-payers over the age of 30 were granted the right to vote at a special States sitting on 12 July 1919.
The parade, which is being organised by the Jersey Women in Politics group, is due to take place on Saturday 13 July, and is one of a number of events, including theatre performances and exhibitions planned by the States Greffe, to be held this year to mark the centenary.
The Women in Politics group was formed last year in the run-up to the general election in the hopes of encouraging more women to participate in politics.
Seventy years after the Island elected its first female States member – Ivy Forster in 1948 – 13 women were elected in the General Election, representing 26.5 per cent of States seats.
‘Many of the women who fought for “Votes for Women” are role models for the men and women of today who wish to create an inclusive, diverse and equal society,’ organisers said in a press release.
‘We invite you to join the celebratory parade and acknowledge the achievements of the women who won the vote and established the democratic values which we all share.’
The July parade is expected to start at midday on Seale Street and to end in the Royal Square. All are welcome and there are no age limits. Those marking the event are asked to wear the colours of the Suffragettes – white (purity), green (hope) and purple (dignity).
‘It is hoped that people will wear these colours and perhaps create some banners similar to those the suffragettes carried on their marches – and as depicted in Jersey Post’s beautiful commemorative stamps pictured in our flyer,’ organisers said.
