Question

explain the condition of women in France before and after the French revolution

Answer 1

Condition of Women before the French Revolution:

a. Women were considered to be socially inferior to men, Most women had no access to education. Only the women belonging to the first and second estate, daughters of the nobles and other wealthier class had access to education.
b. Women from the third estates were involved in small jobs, some sold fruits, flowers, some were employed as domestic servants.


Condition of Women after the revolution:

a. Women were not granted political rights and were still considered to be passive citizens.
b. They organised groups, clubs in order to voice their views, demanding equal set of political rights, right to vote.
c. Some efforts were made to improve the conditions of women, like laws were made related to marriage, divorce was legalised, schools were set up , schooling was made compulsory for girls.
d. It was only in 1946, that women were given right to vote.

Answer 2

In 1789, when French revolution started, French women were limited to the private sphere and after it, they gained their rights at some instances.

Explanation:

• Before the French revolution, domestic duty and family restrictions dictated women's behavior, and the public life was a man’s domain.
• The ideas of equality and comradery that sparked the French Revolution captivated women from all backgrounds in France.
• Women were keen to voice their grievances and political opinions.
• The intellectuals of the upper classes debated property rights and universal suffrage while the working classes took to the streets with their own frustrations such as finding affordable bread.
• The main aim of French Revolution’s was enlightenment.
• New ideas about education, class, and individual rights were being discussed at the evening gatherings of Paris high society known as salons.
• These gatherings were established before the Revolution, and they were often hosted, not by any man, but by women. Known as salonnières, these ladies wielded a significant amount of indirect influence in the world of politics and diplomacy.
• Though they did not enjoy legal rights, in many instances they were regarded as intellectual equals to the men in their lives.
• Historians still debate the true character of the salon and its role in history, but there is no doubt that they provided a platform for their hosts to exert influence outside of the domestic realm.

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