Olympe De Gouges: The Declaration Of The Rights Of Woman

As Olympe de Gouges was developing The Declaration of the Rights of Woman, France was undergoing major changes. This was the height of the French Revolution, where political and social structures were being criticized and altered completely. Under the Ancien Regime, political power was solely granted through the Divine Rights of Kings and society was divided into three estates: clergy, nobility, and everyone else. This organization was an outgrowth of The Great Chain of Being, a well-established hierarchical worldview. During the time of the French Revolution, ideas and attitudes began to develop that challenged this hierarchically-ordered society and began to understand the human realm as ordered horizontally. It is in this context that the

male thinkers in this time period, such as Kant, Hobbes, and Jefferson, were able to denounce their former regimes freely, and advocate for new forms of government. These new ideas fueled the French Revolution. Olympe de Gouges viewed these ideas as inadequate, they strove to obtain rights, but only for the white male.

The idea and value of the woman would not progress under these conditions. Olympe de Gouges’ aim in The Declaration of the Rights of Woman was not only to obtain equal rights for woman, but to reconfigure how womankind was perceived within society. Olympe de Gouges’ woman was not a beautiful plaything, but a strong, opinionated, respected member of the public sphere. In order to demonstrate how Olympe de Gouges sought to obtain rights for women, I will first summarize the passage and define any key terms. I will then define the rights of woman under the Ancien Regime. I will also discuss the parallels drawn between the woman and the slave to illustrate the severe lack of rights women had under the former regime. Next, I will discuss the ideas of her male counterparts and how they are inadequate in her view. I will then go through Gouges’ Rights of the Woman and the Citizeness, and the way in which this bill of rights creates a new prototype of the woman. Next, I will discuss the passage, as a response to Hobbes’ ideas and the implications this piece had on society. I will go on to analyze the passage and discuss its meaning in The

Enlightenment. I will finally examine the aims of this text and the goals of Olympe de Gouges in writing The Declaration of the Rights of Woman.
Within the passage, Olympe de Gouges discusses the severe lack of rights that women held under the Ancien Regime. A woman simply had to be beautiful and polite to be valued in this society. Even the lewdest of womankind could become honoured, if she possessed these two qualities. If the value of women continues to be measured by beauty and niceties, the revolution was futile. The ownership of a woman by a man – marriage, was regarded as a business affair, but women can no longer be treated in this manner. She goes on to compare the white French woman to a slave. Both of these individuals are owned like material property. Whereas the woman may command her master (her husband), the slave cannot. Although, the slave can be set free and go on to own property, a woman set free past her prime, loses all her value and is left without any rights. The French Revolution has not achieved any real progress, as it has not improved the status of women.
Olympe de Gouges uses a variety of symbolism to convey her message within this passage. The use of the phrase, “…saw a hundred fortunes at her feet…”, is to mean valued (de Gouges 127). This value is obtained through marriage and the admiration of men. The term, “…with gold…”, refers to a woman’s beauty (de Gouges 127). She states that, “…the commerce in women was a kind of industry amongst the highest classes…”, meaning marriage and the ownership of women by men is treated as a business transaction (de Gouges 127). When de Gouges references the, “…new situation…”, she is referring to the post-revolution society and government (de Gouges 127). The expression, “…lost all her charms…”, is to mean that a woman has past her prime (de Gouges 127). If a woman becomes, “The plaything of disdain…”, she has become poor, old and of no value to anyone (de Gouges 127). These terms help to further express the way in which women were regarded under the Ancien Regime.
In the past, under the Ancien Regime, women were not valued individually. A woman’s value was determined by men. If she was attractive and likeable, she was valued, because she was desirable. “…A woman only had to be beautiful and amiable…”, no other traits were considered to be feminine or needed to be a true woman (de Gouges 127). This type of sexism is unnatural, as all are born free and equal. To gain respect from her society, a woman must be regarded as more than a beautiful plaything. Olympe de Gouges seeks to alter this way of regarding the woman. A woman, in the post-revolution State, should be held to the same standard as men in all aspects of life. Feminism is usually criticized for only seeking out the benefits of equality and disregarding the consequences. In Article Seven, de Gouges blatantly states that she wants all women to be held accountable for their actions in the law, “No woman is exempted; she is indicted, arrested, and detained…”, she will gladly accept the downsides of sexual equality, if it means women will gain the benefits too (de Gouges 125). Gouges’ new woman is well-educated and able to form her own opinions on matters of the State. The Enlightenment thinkers placed a high degree of importance on education, as it is needed to have reason and logic. Olympe de Gouges uses this to her advantage, “…let us see if our wise legislators will think sanely about the education of women”, as she advocates for the education of women (de Gouges 127). A woman who is able to have reason – is educated, must be well respected in the public sphere. The post-revolution woman is an advocate for herself. She asserts her own human rights and fights against the systems used to keep her simple. Olympe de Gouges encourages women to be strong, “…Whatever barriers set up against you, it is in your power to overcome them; you only have to want it”, but she cannot force their action (de Gouges 127). If womankind does not wish to assert their rights and advocate for themselves, they will always be regarded as accessories to men. Olympe de Gouges’ new women is an individual that is respected, educated, advocates for herself and asserts her own rights, under the new regime.
Olympe de Gouges wrote this text as a response to the ideas of the male thinkers of The Enlightenment period, those who powered revolutions. It is the direct response to Hobbes’ The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, as this piece is entitled, The Declaration of the Rights of Woman [and CItizeness], and follows his format. Hobbes’ text was supposed to be a declaration of universal rights, yet only ensured rights for the white male citizen. The rights of women, Jews, people of colour and poor people without property were excluded. When France adopted The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen into their constitution, de Gouges sought to expose the failures of the French Revolution in recognizing equality among the sexes. She hoped to improve the status of women in the State, but she ultimately failed to create a lasting impact on the French Revolution. Although, after the revolution, many aspects of society started to be questioned. If in this new state everyone is born free and equal, then slavery, the exclusion of people of colour, women, Jews and peasants cannot occur. Olympe de Gouges began a dialogue on what it is that makes one a citizen deserving of rights.

In this passage, Olympe de Gouges conveys her message that women are citizens deserving of equal rights to men. In a society where a woman’s value is only measured by her beauty, anyone could possess value. Women need to be held accountable for their actions, judged by their character and taken seriously, being held to the same standards that men are. If the value, status and rights of women do not improve in the post-revolution society, the revolution was wasted. The only way women could gain wealth or own property was through men, under the Ancien Regime. Man is in the way of all that a woman should be able to achieve and obtain individually. The parallel drawn between the slave and the white woman illustrates the lack of rights of women. A slave set free obtains more rights, than a woman left by her husband. The passage demonstrates a lack of respect, accountability and value placed on females in The Enlightenment period.
The text discusses how women have failed to notice the injustices they face and assert their own rights, “Women wake up… recognize your rights” (de Gouges 126).

Gouges also claims that women have been impeded by the will of men. In marriage and familial affairs, women require a man to give them rights, wealth, and property. If a husband chooses to leave his wife, there is no consequences for him, yet the wife will be left with nothing, “Marriage is the tomb of confidence and love” (de Gouges 128). The Declaration of the Rights of Woman criticizes the French Revolution. Olympe de Gouges creates a bill of rights for the female citizen and encourages females to assert their own rights. She also constructs an entirely new take on the social contract of marriage, where women will be left with equal wealth to that of her male counterpart. Olympe de Gouges’ aim in publishing this text was to inspire a sexually equal society in France, “…female representatives of the nation ask to be constituted as a national assembly” (de Gouges 124). Although her goal was not ultimately achieved, she succeeded in creating a feminist dialogue in the early modern period. Olympe de Gouges would be extremely content with the modern woman, although her wishes for the rights of womankind have still not been fully incorporated into public society, the modern woman is well-educated and unafraid to assert her

rights.
Olympe de Gouges’ ideal woman of the State is an educated, accountable and independent citizen. This woman has the exact same rights as a man, where her value is determined individually, not through her relations with men. Under the former regime, if a woman was beautiful and likeable, she did not need to be anything more. Gouges’ women should be held accountable for their actions in the eyes of the law. Though, she needs to be educated to understand her rights and overcome any barriers in her way. This text is a direct response to Hobbes’, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, yet de Gouges failed to achieve the same impact. The French Revolution was an ineffective venture, if the status of women did not improve. Olympe de Gouges’ ideas were well beyond her time, and in some ways, have still not been achieved thus far, in the modern age.