A person who opposed the right of women (or other groups) to vote, especially during the women's suffrage movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
From anti- (against) + suffragist (one who supports voting rights). Suffragist derives from Latin suffragium meaning 'vote' or 'support.' The term emerged in the late 1800s as opposition to the suffrage movement became organized.
Antisuffragists published arguments that women lacked the intellectual capacity to vote—claims that seem absurd today, but show how even 'logical' people can defend injustice when it protects their power. Many antisuffragists were ironically women who feared voting rights would disrupt society.
Specifically refers to those who opposed women's suffrage. The term emerged during women's political mobilization and carries gendered history—suffragists and antisuffragists were largely divided along gender lines regarding women's enfranchisement.
Use with historical precision: 'antisuffragist' refers to opposition to women's voting rights. Clarify who opposed what rights to avoid muddying distinct political struggles.
["opponent of women's voting rights","women's suffrage opponent"]
Women suffragists globally demonstrated that systemic exclusion requires active, sustained resistance to overturn—a legacy of political tenacity often depoliticized in neutral historical framing.
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