A Legacy to Inspire: Countess Constance Markievicz
Last month, we celebrated Women’s History Month, during which many of us drew strength from the stories of those who came before us, women who blazed trails in democracy and demanded not just political rights, but also economic and social justice. Numerous times this year so far, including just this past weekend, LWV members across the nation took to the streets to protest a rising tide of authoritarianism threatening the core institutions of our democratic republic.
We are living in a time when we are bombarded almost daily with reports of new and emerging threats to our democracy, many of them specifically targeting women. Against this backdrop, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the life of Countess Constance Markievicz, a name perhaps less familiar in the U.S., but whose legacy resonates globally.
Over a century ago, Markievicz was a revolutionary voice in Ireland’s struggle for independence and a staunch advocate for women’s rights. In 1918, she shattered precedents by becoming the first woman ever elected to the British Parliament, though she famously refused to take her seat in protest of British rule over Ireland. Instead, she poured her energy into building a new democracy in Ireland, serving as Minister of Labour in the first Irish government, making her one of the first women in the world to hold a cabinet position in a national government.
Markievicz understood that political equality must go hand in hand with economic liberty. Before she was elected to office, she was already organizing within the labor movement. In 1911, she co-founded the Irish Women Workers’ Union and urged women to stand together for fair wages and fair treatment. She linked the struggle for the vote with the struggle for decent working conditions, insisting that full participation in society meant little if women remained economically oppressed. Her belief that a true republic must uplift all of its people—women and men, rich and poor—was radical in her time, and it remains deeply relevant today. Markievicz once wrote about her ideal of citizenship, rejecting the notion that one’s gender or class should determine their rights, and instead championing “tireless devotion to a cause” and inclusion of women as equals in the nation’s life.
When I reflect on the Countess’s legacy, I am reminded that the fight for democracy has always been two-fold: securing the rights of individuals and enabling their full participation in society. That is exactly what the League of Women Voters has championed for over a century. From the suffragists in 1920 who founded the League to modern activists pushing for pay equity and reproductive rights, the spirit of Markievicz’s vision lives on in our work. We see it in our advocacy for the ERA, in our programs to elevate women’s voices in public forums, and in our commitment to economic and racial justice as integral to a thriving democracy.
The League’s mission of empowering voters and defending democracy is, at its heart, a mission to ensure that women’s contributions continue to strengthen our democratic institutions. Defending the rights of women is crucial for the health of any democracy. So let us honor those who brought us here by redoubling our efforts to build a better, fairer future for all.