Women's Voting Rights in France

Women's Voting Rights in France

Timeline of Key Events:

• 1789: The French Revolution's Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen does not include women's suffrage.
• 1848: Women's suffrage is first demanded during the French Revolution of 1848, but it is not granted.
• 1909: The French Union for Women's Suffrage (UFSF) is founded to campaign for women's voting rights.
• 1944: The French Committee of National Liberation, led by Charles de Gaulle, grants women's suffrage in the provisional government.

Key Figures:

• Olympe de Gouges: A French playwright and feminist who demanded women's suffrage during the French Revolution.
• Hubertine Auclert: A French feminist who campaigned for women's suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Jeanne Deroin: A French feminist and teacher who advocated for women's suffrage and equal rights.

Legislation and Reform:

• 1945: The French Constitution grants women's suffrage, with the first national election open to women taking place on October 21, 1945.
• 1946: The French Electoral Code is reformed to include women's suffrage.
• 1974: The French government establishes a Ministry for Women's Rights to promote gender equality.

Challenges and Obstacles:

• Opposition from conservative and Catholic groups, who argued that women's suffrage would lead to moral decline and the breakdown of the family.
• Women's suffrage was not included in the original French Constitution of 1946, and it took several years of campaigning to achieve equal voting rights.
• Women's participation in politics remained limited in the decades following the granting of suffrage, with few women holding elected office.

Women's Voting Rights in France

Timeline of Key Events

• 1789: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a product of the French Revolution, excludes women's suffrage.
• 1848: Women's suffrage is first demanded during the French Revolution of 1848, but it is not granted.
• 1909: The French Union for Women's Suffrage (UFSF) is founded to campaign for women's voting rights.
• 1944: The French Committee of National Liberation, led by Charles de Gaulle, grants women's suffrage in the provisional government.

Key Figures

• Olympe de Gouges: Demanded women's suffrage during the French Revolution.
• Hubertine Auclert: Campaigned for women's suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Jeanne Deroin: Advocated for women's suffrage and equal rights.

Legislation and Reform

• 1945: The French Constitution grants women's suffrage, with the first national election open to women taking place on October 21, 1945.
• 1946: The French Electoral Code is reformed to include women's suffrage.
• 1974: The French government establishes a Ministry for Women's Rights to promote gender equality.

Challenges and Obstacles

• Conservative and Catholic groups opposed women's suffrage, arguing it would lead to moral decline and the breakdown of the family.
• Women's suffrage was not included in the original French Constitution of 1946.
• Women's participation in politics remained limited after gaining suffrage, with few women holding elected office.