Women’s Right to Vote in France
Women’s Day France / April 21, (1944)
Introduction
France, often regarded as a beacon of liberty, equality, and fraternity, was surprisingly late in granting women the right to vote. Despite being at the forefront of revolutionary ideas and democratic principles since the 1789 Revolution, French women had to wait until April 21, 1944, to be legally granted suffrage. This paradox between France’s reputation as a pioneer of human rights and its delayed recognition of women’s political rights reveals a complex history of feminist struggle against deeply entrenched patriarchal resistance.
The Long Path to Suffrage: Key Dates and Movements
Early Demands During the French Revolution (1789-1799)
The question of women’s political rights emerged during the French Revolution. In 1791, Olympe de Gouges published her famous “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen” as a response to the male-centered “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.” Her work explicitly demanded voting rights for women, stating that “woman is born free and remains equal to man in rights.” Despite these early calls, the revolutionary government not only rejected women’s suffrage but also banned women’s political clubs in 1793. De Gouges herself was guillotined that same year, partly for her political activism.
The Nineteenth Century: Building a Movement
Throughout the nineteenth century, various feminist movements emerged in France, though they often focused on civil rights, education, and labor conditions rather than directly on suffrage. Key figures included:
- Jeanne Deroin (1805-1894), who attempted to run for legislative office in 1849 despite women’s ineligibility to vote
- Maria Deraismes (1828-1894), who founded the first French feminist newspaper and advocated for women’s rights
- Hubertine Auclert (1848-1914), who established the first explicitly suffragist organization in France, “Le Droit des Femmes” (Women’s Rights) in 1876
Auclert’s militant tactics included refusing to pay taxes because she had no representation and organizing demonstrations. She founded the newspaper “La Citoyenne” (The Female Citizen) in 1881, creating a platform for suffragist ideas.
Early Twentieth Century: Intensifying Struggle
The suffrage movement gained momentum in the early 20th century:
- In 1909, the French Union for Women’s Suffrage was established
- By 1914, it had 12,000 members and was part of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance
- World War I (1914-1918) temporarily disrupted the movement but also demonstrated women’s capabilities as they took on traditionally male roles in society
Between 1919 and 1936, the French National Assembly passed bills granting women the vote multiple times, but these were consistently rejected by the more conservative Senate. Notable advocates during this period included:
- Louise Weiss (1893-1983), who founded the organization “La Femme Nouvelle” (The New Woman) in 1934 and organized high-profile demonstrations
- Cécile Brunschvicg (1877-1946), who became one of the first female cabinet members when she was appointed undersecretary of state for education in 1936, despite not being able to vote herself
April 21, 1944: Suffrage Finally Achieved
Women’s suffrage was finally granted by the French Provisional Government in Algiers on April 21, 1944, through an ordinance signed by Charles de Gaulle. This came during World War II, while France was still under partial German occupation. The timing was significant—with France fighting for liberation, it became increasingly difficult to deny basic democratic rights to half the population.
Article 17 of the ordinance stated: “Women are voters and eligible under the same conditions as men.” This simple sentence ended a struggle that had lasted over 150 years.
French women voted for the first time in municipal elections on April 29, 1945, and then in national elections for the Constituent Assembly on October 21, 1945.
Why Did France Lag Behind?
France was notably late in granting women’s suffrage compared to many other Western nations:
- New Zealand (1893)
- Australia (1902)
- Finland (1906)
- Norway (1913)
- Denmark (1915)
- United Kingdom (1918/1928)
- United States (1920)
- Ireland (1922)
Several factors contributed to this delay:
- Political concerns: The Catholic Church had significant influence over women, and conservative politicians feared women would vote based on clerical guidance
- Republican skepticism: Paradoxically, some Republican leaders viewed women’s suffrage as potentially threatening to the secular Republic
- Cultural factors: Traditional gender roles were deeply entrenched in French society
- Institutional resistance: The French Senate consistently blocked suffrage bills approved by the National Assembly
Key Women in the French Suffrage Movement
Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793)
Born Marie Gouze, she was a playwright and political activist during the French Revolution. Her “Declaration of the Rights of Woman” was a foundational feminist text. She was executed during the Reign of Terror, making her one of the earliest martyrs for women’s rights in France.
Hubertine Auclert (1848-1914)
Often called the “pioneer of French feminism,” Auclert dedicated her life to women’s suffrage. She spent 12 years in Algeria, returning to France in 1892 to continue her advocacy. Her tactics included tax resistance and theatrical protests, such as breaking a ballot box during the 1908 municipal elections.
Louise Weiss (1893-1983)
A journalist, writer, and political activist, Weiss led some of the most visible suffrage campaigns in the 1930s. Her organization staged creative protests, including chaining themselves to the Senate gallery and distributing handkerchiefs with suffragist slogans to senators. After women won the vote, she later became a member of the European Parliament at age 86.
Madeleine Pelletier (1874-1939)
A psychiatrist and the first female psychiatric intern in French hospitals, Pelletier was known for her radical approach to gender equality. She dressed in men’s clothing and advocated not only for political rights but also for women’s sexual freedom and access to contraception and abortion.
After Suffrage: Political Representation
Winning the right to vote was only the beginning. Women’s actual representation in French politics remained limited for decades:
- In the first election where women could vote and run (1945), 33 women were elected to the Constituent Assembly (out of 586 seats)
- The first female minister with full cabinet rank was Germaine Poinso-Chapuis, appointed Minister of Public Health in 1947
- In 1991, Édith Cresson became France’s first and so far only female Prime Minister
- The parity law of 2000 required political parties to field equal numbers of male and female candidates in most elections
Women’s Right to Vote in France
The story of women’s suffrage in France reflects a paradoxical aspect of French political culture—a nation that prided itself on being at the vanguard of democratic ideals while simultaneously restricting political participation based on gender. The achievement of April 21, 1944, represented not a gift bestowed upon women but the culmination of a long struggle by determined activists who persisted against powerful opposition.
The delayed recognition of women’s political rights in France serves as a reminder that progress toward equality is rarely linear and that rights must often be demanded rather than expected. The suffragists’ persistence against decades of resistance remains an inspiration for ongoing struggles for full equality, both in France and around the world.
Gouvernement.fr
Women’s right to vote
En 1944, l’obtention du droit de vote des femmes est presque une formalité
À l’occasion de l’anniversaire du droit de vote des femmes, Anne-Sarah Bouglé-Moalic, docteure en histoire de l’université de Caen-Normandie, revient sur ce combat suffragiste, long de cent ans.
› info.gouv.fr/actualite/en-1944-lobtention-du-droit-de-vote-des-femmes-est-presque-une-formalite
French Women & Feminists in History: A Resource Guide
An overview of French women in history and the evolution of the French feminist movement. It includes English and French-language resources, primary sources and covers the Middle Ages, Witch Trials, Ancien Régime, Revolutionary and Modern eras in France.
> guides.loc.gov/feminism-french-women-history