The French Revolution

The French Revolution (1789-1791) was a period where fundamental changes within all aspects of society and the government flourished. It became the essence from which equality and liberty for the citizens of France was demanded and further established. In 1789 the 'Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen' denied the primacy of authority above society by outlining the constitutional rights of all French men. The document was a testimony to the issues of gender in late eighteenth-century France as it was limited to males and failed to address women suffrage, despite woman's active participation in revolutionary festivities. In response to this, Olympe de Gouges, a playwright and political activist of the time, published the 'Declaration of the Rights of Woman' in 1791. It was a re-written document of the 'Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen' from a women's perspective that highlighted how women had been excluded from its promises of universal freedom and equality.

Throughout her work in the 'Declaration of the Rights of Woman', de Gouges emphasised the importance of women's rights, which have been both forgotten and ignored in the corrupt governments. She does this by attaching a personal letter to Queen Marie Antoinette where she asserts her 'true duty' in hastening a revolution that will challenge the ideal representation of the domestic and depoliticized woman. The image of a gentle woman, dedicated only to her family, was to be made a reality during the revolutionary period. In her postscript, de Gouges further confronts this issue by proposing that women obliterate the misguided perception of their gender that confines them to the private sphere of home and prevents them from taking active positions in public and political life.