Women Club in France

Women Club in France: Women in France were disappointed with the Constitution of 1791. It reduced them to passive citizens who had no political rights, they demanded political rights, viz., Right to Vote, to be elected to the assembly and to hold political office. To express their own views and demands, women started their own political clubs and newspapers. About sixty women’s clubs came up in different cities of France, Of them, The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most famous.

Laws Passed to Improve Women Lives: Women were active participants in revolutionary activities. In the early years, laws were passed to improve their lives. These changes were

• They gained access to education with the introduction of state schools and a system of compulsory education for girls.

• Women could no longer be forced into marriage by their fathers. They could marry at will.

• Marriage was now a contract which could be registered under civil law.

• Divorce was made legal. Both men and women could apply for it.

• Women could train for jobs, become artists or run small business.

French Women Got Right to Vote: Women’s struggle for equal political rights was continued through the next two hundred years in many countries of the world. During the Reign of Terror, the government ordered for the closure of women’s clubs and banned their political activities. Many prominent women were arrested and executed. Women’s struggle for voting and equal political rights was carried on through an international suffrage movement during the late 19th and early 20th century. Finally in 1946, French women won the Right to Vote.

The Life of a Revolutionary Woman Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793): Olympe de Gouges was one of the most important of the politically active women in revolutionary France. She protested against the Constitution and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. In 1791, she wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen, which she addressed the Queen and the members of the National Assembly. As a political tension rose in France , she become politically involved. she was an outspoken advocate for improving the conditions of slaves.

In 1793, she criticised the Jacobin government for forcibly closing down women's clubs. she was executed by guillotine during the 'Reign of Terror' for attacking Robespierre. Today , she is best known as an early feminist who challenged the practice of male authority and the notion of male- female inequality

Sample Questions

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Question : 1

In which year French women won the Right to Vote ?
A. 1974	B. 1946	C. 1947	D. 1988
Right Option : B
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Question : 2

The Society of ______________ and _____________ Women was the most famous.
A. Revolutionary	B. Independent	C. Republican	D. Both A and C
Right Option : D
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