Women in France Since 1789

The Meanings of Difference

Susan Foley

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9780333619933
• eBook ISBN: 9780230802148
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Clinical Psychology
• Index: Psychology

This compelling study traces the changes in women's lives in France from 1789 to the present. Susan K. Foley surveys the patterns of women's experiences in the socially-segregated society of the early nineteenth century, and then traces the evolution of their lifestyles to the turn of the twenty-first century, when many of the earlier social distinctions had disappeared. Focusing on women's contested place within the political nation, Women in France since 1789 examines: - The on-going strength of notions of sexual difference
- Recurrent debates over gender
- The anxiety created by women's perceived departure from ideals of womanhood
- Major controversies over matters such as reproductive rights, significant cultural changes, and women's often under-estimated political roles By addressing and exploring these key issues, Foley demonstrates women's efforts over two centuries to create a place in society on their own terms.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction: The French Revolution and Gender Politics – Creating a World of Difference
• Part I The Social Structures of Difference: The Nineteenth-Century Gender Order
• Part II Sex and Citizenship, 1814–1914
• Part III Women in the Era of the Great Wars, 1890–1944
• Part IV Transformations and Continuities, 1945–2003
• Notes
• Suggestions for Further Reading
• Index