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Women's Equality In The French Revolution

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For most of history, society deemed men more dominant than women. Only in the modern era did women become equal to men and took active roles in society. The first real example of this could be seen in the French Revolution, where several women 's groups took an active role in political change. The French Revolution represents the beginning of feminist ideas taking hold in the modern world. Before the French Revolution women’s equality was frequently overlooked in society. This was because society did not see women as a persecuted group within society. An example of this was when Rousseau(a prominent enlightenment philosopher) published a book called Emile, in which he stated that women were only good for the kitchen and childcare. In addition …show more content…

Women became active in several facets of political life, including political clubs. The ideas of equality amongst the genders became popular amongst both men and women. An example of a man taking an active stance in the French revolution was when aristocat Marie-Jean Caritat published an article in which he urged the people of France to consider gender equality. In addition several women formed the Cercle Sociale, a group that advocated for Women’s rights. These women’s primary concern was equality in French marriage and divorce law. The most dramatic political contribution from a women during the French revolution was from Marie Gouze, who wrote Declaration of The Rights of Women a play on Declaration of the Rights of Men and Citizens. In her work, Gouze mentioned that women were excluded of the Declaration of the Rights of Men and Citizens, which unfortunately led to her death in 1793. Women did not receive full rights during the French Revolution, because officials deemed the idea to be bizarre. In light of this women continued to push for equality and take part in the revolution. Participation took several forms including more physical rioting and more passive political protest such as joining political clubs. In one of the boldest acts of the revolution Charlotte Corday assinatied Radical leader Jean Paul Marat. Women becoming politically active was a crucial step in women becoming

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