Vida Goldstein was arguably the most famous woman in Australia in the early 1900s.
Charming and well-spoken, an ardent fighter for equality and peace, Vida believed that women needed voting rights to achieve equality in society. Inspired by her beliefs, she worked hard to encourage more voices to stand for suffrage.
Her efforts helped pave the way for changes. Women in Australia were granted voting rights in Federal Elections in 1902. Vida ran for Parliament the following year in the first election in which women could run. And while Vida was not elected, she garnered about fifty-one thousand votes, roughly five percent of the total.
Vida would run for office four more times. Though she never earned enough votes to participate in Parliament, Vida continued dedicating herself to women’s rights.
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“Vida Goldstein: a snapshot biography” sources: Portrait of Vida taken circa 1915 / Wikimedia Commons / The Daily News February 26th, 1906 / The Life and Work of Miss Vida Goldstein / Woman Suffrage in Australia Wikipedia
