Women in the French Revolution essays

Women in the French Revolution essays The French Revolution of 1789 was a time of change for many people of France. In particular, the women of the revolutionary period participated in diverse activities which included protesting high food prices and joining women's societies and clubs. Women were deemed dependent upon the men in their lives because they were passive citizens and the harsh economic conditions of the time period resulted in a multitude of suffering for them. The women of the French Revolution agreed with the basic universal goals of the French Revolution. After the Revolution, women sought to achieve economic as well as familial equality. Yet, basic principles spawned by the revolution continually crushed any attempts made by women to attain their goals. As seen in Susan Voilquins memoir, A Daughter of the People, and Jeanne Bouviers, My Memoirs, both post-revolutionary writers valued the change in society, but were unable to overcome the hardships placed upon them early on and improve the quality of thei r lives. The economic conditions in post revolutionary years helped fuel women to seek to change their living status. The women wanted to be able to seek opportunities to improve their lives and their sense of self worth. The heightened demand placed on their families increased the strain their families were already experiencing as a result of the food shortages. For example, Voilquin describes the poverty that struck her family after her father lost his business as a, longtime acquaintance, [that] came once again to knock at our door. She goes on to describe poverty as a woeful visitor [that] weighed above all on my mother, who shouldered the greater part of the burden. (Voilquin, 101) In order to feed their families, women were pushed into the workforce. Bouvier began work at the age of eleven in order to help her mother provide for her family. She describes the actions taken in her situation as though it were the...