France

Enlightened Ideas on Mothering

The earliest notion of ideal motherhood in the nation-state of France appeared just prior to the French Revolution. During the Enlightenment, the ideals about motherhood changed dramatically from the burdened mother to the “happy mother.” Although the Enlightenment started in England, it soon caught on in France, and the nation became a focus for continual, modern philosophical and political thought. Men and women spent hours discoursing over the latest political trends of thought at local coffee houses, social groups, and salons. Many of the discussion groups were led and hosted by women. Numerous discussions in Paris centered on the state of the nation and the displeasure with the French monarchy, Louis XV, and the traditional ideology of the Catholic Church. Ideas from John Locke, Isaac Newton, and other political philosophers circulated around these social groups, and their ideas became very powerful. Some of the more famous individuals included Baron de Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Denis Diderot, all of whom were on the lips of many of the new philosophical elite.

One of these influential philosophers, Jean Jacques Rousseau, published a book that changed the ideas about motherhood in France. His work, Emile, stressed the importance of the mother as the primary caretaker and nurturer of her child. His ideas gained popularity and became known as the Cult of Motherhood. This new mode of thought on motherhood enthralled the aristocracy and became the main focus of the ideal mother well into the 20th century. Rousseau advocated that a woman's natural role was motherhood; it was their business to bear children and shoulder the responsibility of both care and education for the child. He encouraged the education of women in order to produce stronger citizens of the state. His ideas were also reinforced by the French Revolution, which stressed the importance of the mother's role on her children.

The French Revolution and the Enlightenment ignited women to become more active in their community by promoting organizations to educate mothers on proper child rearing. In 1788, the Society for Maternal Charity was founded in Paris; this organization promoted its conception of motherhood on national and provincial levels and helped to shape the celebration of civic motherhood during the 19th century. The organization was supported by the state, encouraging elite women to become role models for poor women.

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