''Jus Suffragii'' was the official journal of the

International Woman Suffrage Alliance The International Alliance of Women (IAW; french: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international org ...

, published monthly from 1906 to 1924.

History

The International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA), now called the

International Alliance of Women The International Alliance of Women (IAW; french: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international org ...

, was formed in 1904 in Germany, Berlin, by a group of prominent

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

s from many countries. The IWSA established ''Jus Suffragii'', the official journal of the organisation, in 1906. Its title translates from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

to "The Right of Suffrage". The journal published news about the progress of the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

around the world, in addition to news about various other women's issues, including women leaders, women working in male-dominated fields, women's and children's health, marriage and divorce law, prostitution, women's education, maternity benefits, working conditions and the age of consent. It was published in English in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and in French in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. Each issue cost 4

pence A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is th ...

in the United Kingdom, 4

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel '' ...

in Germany, or 4

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

in France. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, ''Jus Suffragii'' was edited by Mary Sheepshanks, whose

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

and feminist direction of the journal caused significant controversy. This began in 1914 when, after war broke out, ''Jus Suffragii'' shared its London offices with the International Women's Relief Committee, which had just been formed to provide aid to the hundreds of "enemy" German women who had become stranded in Britain. Sheepshanks apologised in the journal's pages to German and Austrian readers for the lack of news from those countries in what should have been an international journal and appealed to readers in neutral countries where the journal was distributed—Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands—to obtain news about women in the "enemy" countries. The journal was openly criticised by several suffragist leaders, including the president of the IWSA itself, for abandoning its original focus on women's voting rights and launching "an active pacifist campaign". By the end of the war in 1919, however, Sheepshanks and ''Jus Suffragii'' received messages of gratitude and praise from around the world. In 1917, the journal adopted the name ''The International Woman Suffrage News'' in addition to its original title. Sheepshanks stepped down as editor in 1920 and the journal ceased publication in 1924, when it was replaced by '' International Women's News'' as the IWSA's official periodical.

References

{{Suffrage Defunct magazines published in Switzerland English-language magazines Feminist magazines French-language magazines Magazines published in London Magazines established in 1906 Magazines disestablished in 1929 Magazines published in Geneva Women's magazines published in Switzerland

History

See also

References