The 20th century was a momentous one for gender politics. Beginning with the spread of women’s voting rights, the political participation and engagement of women expanded during the years that followed. Links were forged between women’s workforce participation and their active involvement in public affairs. Women’s liberation movements reached across age, class and racial barriers to forge new policy demands. Gender inequalities in representation, too, mobilised coalitions of women determined to open up formal politics. Along the way, there were some notable achievements. There were also disappointments. This lecture dwells on the legacy of the 20th century for women’s civic and political engagement and participation. Using the concept of gender democracy, it suggests that women steadily engaged with democratic processes, practices and institutions as the century wore on. This process of democratic ownership was incomplete by 2000, and its legacy shapes gender politics in the 21st century.