After standing in queues for hours at the bakery, when women could not get bread because of hoarding of the supplies, the crowd of angry women stormed into the shops.Also, while men were fighting at the front, women were left to cope with the tasks of earning a living and looking after there families

Womenhad no political rights in pre-Revolutionary France; they could not vote or hold any political office. ... It was the men who defined these categories, andwomenwere forced to accept male domination in the political sphere.



Women, just like the Sans-culottes or the peasantry or the bourgeoisie played a significant role in bringing about the French Revolution. Their participation in a number of uprisings prior to 1789 and even after the revolution had taken place are considered significant aspects of the popular participation of the French Revolution. However, it was the ‘March to Versailles’ to get the king to sign the ‘The Declaration of the Rights of the Man’ that is considered to be the most significant event that marked the culmination of the revolution. At the same time, women were participating in the revolution indirectly by promoting and propagating modern ideas through societies, journals, pamphlets etc. Hence, it can be seen that women did in fact have a significant role to play during the French Revolution.

Before we go on to analyse the role that they played in this uprising it would be important to understand the role of the women in the French society prior to 1789. Women had no political rights in pre-Revolutionary France; they couldn’t vote or hold any political office just like many other people. However, according to some scholars, as far as the dignity of the women was concerned it was trampled upon much more than that of a common man. They were considered to be “passive” citizens, who should remain at home and rely on men to decide what was best for them. It was believed that men alone were capable of governing and that this was a quality that women could not imbibe. In fact, a woman’s education often consisted of learning to be a good wife and mother; as a result women were not supposed to be involved in the political sphere, as the limit of their influence was the raising of future citizens. In addition to this degrading attitude towards women, which extended to cover the so-called elitist women as well, there were economic and social problems as well that essentially affected the common man. Thus, all women may not have had the same grievances or demands during the time of the revolution. For instance, women belonging to the sans-culottes or peasantry suffered from problems of rising prices, low wages, unemployment, food shortage and other such conditions that often resulted in an extremely miserable existence. It was these women, who revolted during the revolutionary period when the economic crisis had become intertwined with the political crisis with the hope that a change in the regime would lead to them having a better existence. Hence, while women belonging to the more elitist or well-to-do sections of society were more concerned about their democratic aspirations and securing political rights and some degree of equality vis-à-vis men, the women belonging to the sans-culottes were more concerned about battling their day-to-day problems, which naturally got precedence over political rights.

This had become evident when the list of grievances was being prepared for the Estates-General. Women belonging to the sans-culottes had demanded greater control over prices; working women wanted equal pay for equal work; and in particular checking the phenomenon of black marketing and hoarding, which always led to a rise in prices. Thus, it can be seen that their demands were economic in nature. It was the upper class women, who had political grievances.

During the revolutionary years women were active participants:

>> In order to discuss and voice their interests they started their own political clubs and newspapers.

>> About 60 women's clubs emerged in different French cities, the most famous being the Society of Revolutionary and Republic Women.

>> They wanted to enjoy the some rights as men i.e., right to vote , to be elected to the Assembly and to hold political office.

>> Women's struggle for equal political rights during the late 19th and 20th centuries. Finally in 1946, French women won the right to vote.