declaration of the rights of woman and the female citizen

The letter presents a list of grievances and requests for specific and detailed change and emphasizes that “This revolution will only take effect when all women become fully aware of their deplorable condition, and of the rights they have lost in society”.

De Gouges responded with her 1791 Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen, which is dedicated to Queen Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) and starts with a letter to queen in form of a petition on behalf of the French women. It outlines a series of human rights that were deemed to be universal for all, but in fact only included men. The Declaration was Influenced by the enlightened idea of universal “natural right. Her Declaration was a direct response to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 ( Déclaration des droits de l’homme et du citoyen) from August 1789 by the France’s National Constituent Assembly. One of these individuals went by the name of Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793), and in one of her most famous works, the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen ( Déclaration des Droits de la Femme et de la Citoyenne), 1791 she attacks the ideas of the existing male dominated social structure and mandates a set of demands that provide more rights for woman. The rights for women therefore were largely overlooked, however there remained a strong number of individuals who wrote for and advocated for the rights of women. However, these debates and ideas were mostly genderless, and most ideas of the time demanded for the rights of man but asked very little for the change of social standing of women in society. Most thinkers, philosophers, and writers of the time proposed new ideas on human nature and the rights and laws of citizens. I believe that these ideas were as revolutionary, if not more revolutionary, than any battles or wars fought during the same time period. The French Revolution (1789-1798) was a period not only of great conflict, upheaval and war, but also of great ideas.

Declaration of the rights of woman and the female citizen