Declaration Of Rights Of Women Essay

With years of bad harvests and national debt, citizens began to grow upset. An unequal tax system was in place, which only taxed the third estate. With small portions of food and money, citizens began to realize that there was a need for change. The King, Louis XVI called for a meeting of the Estate General to try to correct the problems that were occurring, however, it made things worse. Months the Estate General meeting, the Third Estate formed the National Assembly, which formed the Declaration of Rights of Man. This declaration claimed that all men were born equal, allowing an opening for women. Women had made their own declaration, appropriately titled The Declaration of the Rights of Women. In the declaration, women were asking for equality

According to The Petition of Women of the Third Estate to the King, “ . . . men find it easier to buy them [women] for a short time than win them over forever . . .” (Petition of Women of the Third Estate to the King,” 61). This shows that women had begun to appear disposable, men simply had to buy their time rather than investing in a married life. Possibly, even buying other women’s time in addition to their married lives. Not only disposable, but women were viewed also as lesser than men whose only purpose was to work in the household. Chaumette claims that women asking for rights was equivalent to, “ . . . women abandon[ing] the pious care of their household, [and] the cradle of their children . . .” (Chaumette, “Speech at the General Council of the City Government of Paris Denouncing Women’s Political Activism,” 138-139). According to Chaumette, women’s only duties were to stay home and take care of the household and children, and wanting any more than what they currently had led to failure of their household and children. Clearly, most men in this time viewed women as lesser peoples, disposable, yet solely responsible for their household and upbringing of their