GENDER AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION: THE SOCIO-POLITICAL ROLE OF ARMENIAN WOMEN IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Abstract

This article examines the emergence and consolidation of Armenian women’s socio-political agency in the early twentieth century. Building on the foundations of charitable and political associations established in the late nineteenth century, Armenian women expanded their roles through philanthropic initiatives, humanitarian relief, and civic activism, particularly during World War I and the Armenian Genocide. These activities provided the organizational experience and public visibility that facilitated their transition into formal politics.

The proclamation of the First Republic of Armenia in 1918 and the adoption of universal suffrage in 1919, without property or class restrictions, positioned Armenia among the earliest states worldwide to institutionalize gender equality in electoral rights. The election of three women deputies, Perchuhi Partizpanyan-Barseghyan, Varvara Sahakyan-Tadevosyan, and Katarine Zalyan-Manukyan, further exemplified the integration of women into the structures of governance, where they contributed to legislation on education, welfare, public health, and refugee relief.

Comparative analysis situates the Armenian case within the global suffrage timeline, demonstrating its pioneering character relative to the United Kingdom (full suffrage in 1928), the United States (1920), France (1944), and Switzerland (1971). The Armenian experience highlights a distinctive trajectory in which women’s charitable activism rapidly evolved into political participation, underscoring the progressive spirit of the First Republic despite its short-lived existence.