It’s 100 years since the first women were granted the right to vote in the UK, and boy, what a long way we’ve come.
The Representation of the People Act, which was passed on 6 February 1918, only gave women over the age of 30 and “of property” the right to vote, but it did pave the way for change.
Thanks to the persistent efforts of suffragettes such as Millicent Fawcett and Emmeline Pankhurst, all women over the age of 21 were granted the right to vote in 1928. We wonder if they could have imagined that a century on from the landmark bill, the UK would have a female prime minister.
We still have a long way to go until women are giving equal footing in politics, with men currently outnumbering women in parliament 2:1.
But to mark 100 years of undeniable progress, here are 10 photos of women at polling stations through the ages that are guaranteed to leave you feeling empowered.
1920s
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A group of women in their 20s left the polling station with smiles on their faces in 1929, having just voted in their first general election.
1930s
Photo by Daily Mail/REX/Shutterstock
Women voting was becoming the norm by the 1931 general election, when this woman was photographed placing her vote in a ballot box at The Streatham Library polling station.
1940s
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By the 1940s, men and women volunteered side by side at the polling stations. Here, a woman was seen checking over votes in preparation for the count during the 1945 general election.
1950s
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107-year-old Caroline Beale (pictured centre) proved you're never too old to have your voice heard when she voted at Wallington polling station for the 1955 general election.
1960s
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Daphne Cohen walked to the polling station with her son in her arms alongside footballer husband George Cohen in the 1966 general election.
1970s
Kevin Holt/ANL/REX/Shutterstock
Manchester-born singer Kathy Jones proudly strutted out of the polling station for the 1974 general election.
1980s
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Whatever you think of her policies, there's no denying Margaret Thatcher changed the way women are seen in politics. Here, she was seen at a polling station alongside her husband Denis in 1987.
1990s
Murray Sanders/ANL/REX/Shutterstock
Singer Elaine Paige was snapped beaming from ear to ear after voting at a Chelsea polling station during the 1992 general election.
2000s
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Labour candidate Oona King and her husband Tiberio Santamarco photographed after voting in the 2005 general election.
2010s
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The hashtag
#BabiesAtPollingStations has provided Brits with some much-needed light relief over the recent elections. Here, two Londoners were photographed after casting their votes in the 2015 general election with their little ones in tow.
