They are very revealing as Lette was the founder of an association with a very specific objective – to promote the “employment of women”. To a certain extent therefore, Lette was an advocate of gender equality – for that day and age. His general opposition to gender equality, however, was unsuccessful: next year we are celebrating 100 years of women’s suffrage.
Giving women the vote was a crucial step towards greater gender equality. For if you cannot vote, you have no political voice and, without that, your concerns cannot be addressed. But the right to vote was only the first step. It was the first step on a journey which then took place at a rather leisurely pace.