Women's Role in the French Revolution

It seems strange that at one point in history, before the Neolithic revolution, women were believed to be superior to men. It seems even stranger in the twenty-first century that, for almost a millennium, women were oppressed and not even considered as human beings. But women’s actions in the French Revolution sought to change all of that. Towards the end of the sixteenth century, France’s government’s official policy on women outlined that a women’s proper place was at home, not in politics. Among the numerous men, Jean Jacques Rousseau, one of the greatest Enlightenment thinkers, believed that women should undoubtedly assume an active role, but only within the household. Some might attribute the outset of modern feminism to events as recent as World War I when the term “suffragist” was coined. On the other hand, alongside the French Revolution, tired of being seen as lesser beings, the women had their own mini revolution through the use of petitions, physical demonstrations and the creation of political clubs. Thus, the origins of modern feminism can be traced back to the actions of the women in the French Revolution.
The dawn of written petitions by influential women which represented their demands marks the beginning of moderate modern feminism. To begin, the Women’s Petition to the National Assembly was addressed to the National Assembly, a day after the October 1789 march of women to Versailles, putting forward a declaration to present women with equality between the two sexes. The writers of the petition were not only very familiar with the Declaration of Rights of Man but also familiar with numerous publications regarding the accomplishments of prominent women throughout history. The authors represented the female population as they demanded for rights such as: “1) All the privileges of the male sex are entirely and irrevocably abolished throughout France; 2) The feminine sex will always enjoy the same liberty, advantages, rights, and honors as does the

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