Human Rights A Day

Women allowed into the House of Lords through hereditary titles. The British system of peerage for the aristocracy meant that titles and other privileges always passed from father to son. This tradition persisted even after the House of Commons outlawed gender discrimination years earlier. For 40 years, the government simply refused to apply that stipulation to the House of Lords membership. The practice finally ended on October 30, 1957 when the British government announced that women would be allowed into the House of Lords through the peerage system. That meant that for the first time in history, hereditary titles could pass from father to daughter, allowing women life peerage. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.