French Feminists Throughout History: The Enduring Influence of Bold Women on the French Women's Rights Movement

French feminist history is marked by bold and spirited women who flouted convention and paved the way for future women’s rights movements. In this thesis, I analyze four women from French history and their contributions to French feminism as it stands today. Jeanne d’Arc, Olympe de Gouges, my grandmother as a member of the Resistance in World War II, and Simone de Beauvoir left lasting legacies which forever shaped French femininity. In each chapter, I examine the actions and works of these women in order to demonstrate the gravity of past feminists to the women’s rights movement today. Finally, my research illustrates the need for female solidarity and demonstrates the enduring influence of our predecessors on who we are as women and who we seek to become as feminists.