French Senate as of October 2021
  Men: 226 seats
  Women: 122 seats

This article is to share the history and details of women in the French Senate.

History

Women have been able to serve in political office in France since 1944.[1] In 1997, only 5.9% of senators were women.[1] In 2015, 25% of senators were women. [2]

In mid-1999, an amendment was added to the French Constitution mandating gender parity in electoral candidates for senators. [3]

General de Gualle declared in June 23, 1942 that "all men and women will elect the National Assembly". Marthe Simard and Lucie Aubrac were appointed members of the Provisional Consultative Assembly of Algiers:[4]. From 1944-1945, 16 women sat as delegates to this assembly[5] Lucie Aubrac, Madeleine Braun, Gilberte Brossolette, Marie Couette [fr], Claire Davinroy, Andrée Defferre-Aboulker [fr], Alice Delaunay [fr], Martha Desrumaux [fr], Annie Hervé [fr], Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux, Mathilde Gabriel-Péri, Pauline Ramart, Marthe Simard, Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier, Marianne Verger [fr], and Andrée Viénot.

In 1946, 6.69% of senators were women, and the percentage decreased until only 1.4% in 1971. As a result of the law of parity, in 2021 women made up a third of the senators.[6]

Women senators since 1946[7]
Election Number of women Total number of senators Percentage
1946 21 314 6.7%
1971 4 283 1.4%
2001 35 321 10.9%
2004 60 331 18.1%
2008 75 343 21.9%
2011 77 348 22.1%
2014 87 348 25.0%
2017 115 348 31.8%
2020 121 348 34.8%

List of prominent female senators

Name Term Region Party
Marthe Simard Resistance Representative
Lucie Aubrac[8] 1944 Resistance Representative
Jane Vialle[9][10] 1947–1948 Ubangui-Chari APEAN; Association for Evolution of Black Africa
Éugénie Éboué[10] 1946–1948 Guadeloupe Socialist Party, RFP
Jacqueline Alduy 1982–1983 Pyrénées-Orientales Not Affiliated
Viviane Artigalas[11] 2017– Hautes-Pyrénées Socialist Party

Parliamentary group leaders

Years Senator Group
1975-1978 Marie-Thérèse Goutmann Communist, Republican, Citizen and Ecologist group
1979-2001 Hélène Luc Communist, Republican, Citizen and Ecologist group
2001-2012 Nicole Borvo Cohen-Seat Communist, Republican, Citizen and Ecologist group
2012- Éliane Assassi[12] Communist, Republican, Citizen and Ecologist group
2015-2016 Corinne Bouchoux Ecologist group

References

  1. ^ a b Lambert, Caroline (May 1, 2001). "French Women in Politics: The Long Road to Parity". Brookings. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  2. ^ Buchanan, Kelly (2015-03-04). "Women in History: Elected Representatives | In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress". blogs.loc.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  3. ^ Allen, Steve. "The Law on Gender Parity in Politics in France and New Caledonia: A Window into the Future or More of the Same? | Oxford University Comparative Law Forum". Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  4. ^ "Obituary: Lucie Aubrac". the Guardian. 2007-03-16. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  5. ^ "1944-1948 – Left in Paris". Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  6. ^ "Le Sénat, vigie de la République". LEFIGARO (in French). 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  7. ^ "Les femmes sénateurs - Sénat". www.senat.fr. September 8, 2021.
  8. ^ Lloyd, C. (2003-09-16). Collaboration and Resistance in Occupied France: Representing Treason and Sacrifice. Springer. ISBN 978-0-230-50392-2.
  9. ^ Rivet, Nathan (2017-03-08). "Jeanne/Jane Vialle (1906–1953) •". Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  10. ^ a b Joseph-Gabriel, Annette (2017-03-13). "From Concentration Camps to the Senate: Black Women in the French Resistance". AAIHS. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  11. ^ "La sénatrice des Hautes-Pyrénées, Viviane Artigalas, à la commission économique". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  12. ^ "Éliane Assassi réélue présidente du groupe communiste au Sénat". Public Senat (in French). 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
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