Féministes Révolutionnaires

Féministes révolutionnaires was a radical feminist group committed to the disruption of patriarchy. The loosely knit assemblage was founded in 1970 in France by members of Mouvement de Fibération des Femmes (MLF), most notably Monique Wittig and Simon de Beauvoir, both of whom later collaborated with Christine Delphy on the journal Questions feminists.

It is difficult to define Féministes révolutionnaires because members were completely against any form of hierarchy. They resisted designating individual leaders with representative goals. Actually, Féministes révolutionnaires is referred to as féministes non-alignées because it is difficult to pin the movement to any one philosophy or cause.

Launched in the context of student and worker turbulence in 1969, socialist women became discouraged by male members' unwillingness to share power; thus the battle cry, “Fes hommes discourent, les femmes nettoient!” (Men discuss, women clean!). Although influenced by feminists in the United States, Féministes révolutionnaires differed from mere “reformist” groups whose major concerns were the rights and roles of women in society. [Page 308]Indeed, members believed in revolution from the current system of phallocracy—a societal structure rewarding those possessing a penis—a notion similar to meritocracy, such that perceived merit is the means to gain privilege, or aristocracy whereby a person inherits power by parentage.

To bring feminist issues to the fore, members of Féministes révolutionnaires organized events to attract media attention. Their most famous exploit was placing a wreath at the Arc de Triomphe at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a banner that read, “Il y a plus inconnu encore que le soldat: sa femme!” (There is one more unknown than the soldier: his wife!). The exhibit was immediately dispersed by police. However, the incident made national headlines, and the faction's grievances became known to the general public for the first time.

In 1971, to assert women's rights to contraception and abortion, two popular publications printed the Manifeste des 343. The manifesto was signed by some members of Féministes révolutionnaires, including Simone de Beauvoir, testifying that they had had abortions. Abortion was illegal and such women risked arrest, so this act induced a great deal of national interest.

Féministes révolutionnaires eventually disbanded about 1979, but not before Wittig broke from the assembly because of perceived resistance to lesbian issues. Despite the group's break-up, one can gauge their influence by the overall diffusion of feminist ideas in the French media as leading to broad receptivity to MLF issues by ordinary French citizens and consequent legalization of contraception and abortion.