Question

Evaluate the role of Women in France before the revolution.

Answer 1

Hint: -At that time, the French Society was divided further into three estates.
-About Sixty Women clubs came up in different French cities.
-Jacobin Politician Chaumette once said –‘Shameless are those women who wish to become men’.

Complete answer: From the beginning of the French Society, the women of France had actively participated in major events that later came to be the reason for the changes and development in the French society. One of those events included the one which took place on 5 October 1789, it was the time when women marched to Versailles and brought back the king along with them to Paris. As even after participating in such an active way, the conditions didn’t change.
They were grouped in the passive citizens’ group according to the constitution of 1791, that included the ones not allowed to cast their vote. They were paid less than the men for doing the same work. They didn’t have the right to go to school and study. Only those women who were the daughters of landlords and kings were allowed to study in a convent after which their parents arranged a marriage for them. They also demanded the right to stand in elections and hold a position in political office but unfortunately, their demand was rejected. Women’s struggle for equal rights continued even in the ‘Reign Of Terror ‘.

Note: -Olympe de Gouges was one of the most politically active Women in the French Revolution.
-The Revolutionary government of French introduced laws to improve the conditions of women.
-Raja Rammohan Roy was one of those who was inspired by new ideas of the European revolution.