Vote 100

The centenary year is really important to women and girls. As well as allowing us to celebrate the successes achieved in the past century for women’s democracy, we can use the anniversary to look at what still needs to be done to engage girls and women in politics.' - Girlguiding advocate, Sophie

Vote 100 marked the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, a milestone that gave all men and some women the right to vote for the first time. In 2018, we celebrated the legacy of the suffrage movement and the pioneering women who campaigned for representation and democratic equality.

We joined the call for greater action, urging the government and political parties to commit to equal representation for women in Parliament.

Girls deserve a say

Every year we ask over 2,500 girls and young women aged 7 to 21, both inside and outside of guiding, to tell us how they feel about their everyday lives.

In 2017, girls told us that they wanted to see more female politicians, and they wanted politicians to better understand the needs and issues girls and young women face. The survey found:

• 57% of girls aged 11-21 feel politicians don’t understand their issues.
• 43% of girls say having a female Prime Minister or First Minister inspires them to lead.
• 58% of girls aged 11-21 think the voting age should be lowered to 16.
• Girls want their voices listened to, with more female MPs and diversity in politics.

I’m inspired by strong women in politics who aren’t afraid to defend their opinions and stand up to others.' - Girl, 17, Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2017 

What we asked for

We aimed to inspire girls and young women to get involved in democracy, understand politics and make their voices heard on the issues that matter to them. We asked for:

• Equal representation of women in UK Parliament.
• A commitment from political parties to increase the number of female MPs by 2020.

There’s still more to be done – but as of 2025, women hold 40% of seats in the House of Commons, the highest level of representation yet. 

We joined the procession

We teamed up with arts organisation Artichoke to offer units the chance to take part in PROCESSIONS - one of the largest participatory artworks ever created.

Thousands of women and girls took to the streets in the four political capitals of the UK – Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and London – to celebrate 100 years of woman's suffrage.

Wearing the suffragette colours of green, white, violet (initials spelling "Give Women Votes"), Girlguiding units joined the celebrations carrying banners, pennants and flags they had created to share their hopes for women today.