ABSTRACT
French women’s past and present political participation can only be understood in terms of their position in society. It was only during the second half of the nineteenth century that women gained educational equality with men. In 1867 women gained access to primary schooling. In 1880 they were allowed entry to secondary education, and, in 1884, to university education. There are few women in the political parties and even fewer in the elected assemblies in France. French political personnel, at both local and national level, normally come from the more privileged social strata. The elitism in the political class is clearly an obstacle to its feminisation. Employed women are the more radical, housewives the more conservative. If trends in women’s employment persist the future will witness a decrease in the number of fulltime housewives and married women will carry on in employment after the birth of their children.
