Feminism French Vocabulary and Influencial Women in France
The French Revolution first proclaimed liberal and radical ideas and gave birth to the concept of feminism. However French women only gained the right to vote in 1944.
Yet, numerous women, throughout the History of France have contributed to women’s emancipation or equality.
In this post, I will share with you French vocabulary related to feminism and the political activism of Simone de Beauvoir, one of the most famous feminist women of the second-wave.
If you learn French, you might be interested by our new private tour related to influential feminist women of Saint-Germain-des-Près.
Vocabulary related to feminism in French
La discrimination : discrimination (verb : discriminer)
Le droit à l’avortement : the right to abortion (verb : avorter)
La domination : domination (verb : dominer)
L’émancipation : empowerment (verb : s’émanciper)
Le féminisme : feminism
Le féminicide : feminicide
L’inégalité des sexes : gender disparity versus l’égalité des sexes
L’inégalité salariale : income inequality versus l’égalité salariale
Le machisme : male chauvinism (adjective : machiste)
Le militantisme féministe : feminist activism (une militante : an activist)
La parité : parity
Le préjugé : prejudice
Le sexisme : sexism (sexist: sexist)
Le patriarcat : patriarchy
La misogynie : misogyny
Le harcèlement sexuel : sexual harassment
Le viol : rape (verb violer : to rape)
Glossary of third-wave of feminism
The third wave of feminism emerged in the mid-1990s in the States. It was led by so-called Generation Xers, born in the 1960s and ’70s in Western countries. Although they benefited significantly from the legal rights and protections that had been obtained by first and second-wave feminists, they also critiqued the positions and what they felt was the unfinished work of second-wave feminism. The glossary of the third wave generation of feminists has partially borrowed words directly from the English language. Here are a few words :
Le consentement : consent
Le plafond de verre : glass ceiling
Le harcèlement de rue : harassment in the street (sexual comments)
Le genre : gender
La sororité : sisterhood
Gentil garçon : nice guy
#MeToo = #MoiAussi
#BalanceTonPorc : grass up ( slang UK) or rate out ( slang US) your pig. What this hashtag means is : don't keep quiet, report it, about sexual harassment.
It’s interesting to see that all the following neologisms in English start to be used in French with no equivalent word ( I feel sorry for the very strict Académie Française !)
Mansplaining : mecsplication (not very used in French)
Bropropriating : no equivalent in French
Manterrupting : no equivalent in French
Manspreading : Manslamming in French
Simone de Beauvoir ( 1908 – 1986)
Second-Wave Feminism
“One is not born but rather becomes a woman”
“ On ne nait pas femme, on le devient”
Where first-wave feminism was concerned with women’s suffrage and property rights, the second wave widened the scope with regards to to sexuality, family, the workplace and reproductive rights. Was Simone de Beauvoir a feminist? Although she did not at first define herself as a feminist, her landmark book 'The Second Sex' was one of the most inspirational publications to the activists of the Women’s Liberation, the political alignment of women and feminist intellectualism that emerged in the late 1960s and continued into the 1980s in Western countries. However when 1960s feminists approached her, she was at first not very enthusiastic to join their cause.
The second sex 1949
In 'The Second Sex', published in 1949, Simone de Beauvoir downplayed her association with feminism as she then knew it. Like many of her associates, she believed that socialist development and class struggle were needed to solve society's problems, not a women's movement.
Beauvoir’s book outlines the ways in which women are perceived as “other” in a patriarchal society, second to man, who is considered and treated as the “first” or default sex. In the book, Beauvoir famously states "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." Women are different from men because of what they have been taught and socialised to do and be. In 1949, this was a truly radical idea.
According to Beauvoir it was dangerous to believe in an eternal feminine nature, in which women were more in contact with the earth. This perception was just another way for men to control women, by telling them they are better off in their cosmic, spiritual "eternal feminine" world kept away from men's knowledge and especially left out of the men's concerns like work, careers, and power.
A return to enslavement
The notion of a "woman's nature" struck Beauvoir as further oppression. She called motherhood a way of turning women into slaves. It was not meant to be slavery but it usually ended up this way in society precisely because women were told to concern themselves with their divine and feminine nature. They were forced to focus on motherhood and femininity instead of politics, technology, or anything else outside of home and of family.
Women’s Liberation Movement
Like many of her associates, Beauvoir believed that socialist development and class struggle were essential to solve society's issues, not a women's movement. When during the sixties she was approached by feminists, she did not rush enthusiastically to join their cause.
The Women's Liberation Movement helped Beauvoir to become more open to the concept of day-to-day sexism women experienced. Yet, she did not think it was beneficial for women to refuse to do anything the "man's way" or refuse to take on qualities deemed masculine. Some radical feminists organisations rejected leadership hierarchy as a reflection of masculine authority and said no single person should be in charge. Some feminist artists declared they could never truly create unless they were completely separate from male-dominated art. Simone de Beauvoir acknowledged that Women's Liberation had contributed to women’s emancipation, but she also believed that feminists should not utterly reject being a part of the man's world, whether in organisational power or with their own creative work.
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