More than Bread and Butter: French Feminists among Working Class Women

This paper will specifically explore the 1789 Womens March on Versailles, an event during the French Revolution where working class women protested against the monarchy for bread in joint effort with intellectual women, such as De Gouges, who demanded a voice in the political arena. The paper finds that whilst the primary demand of working-class women appeared to be bread and thereby purely materialistic, they too wanted political rights, marching as part of a broader political movement to make the desires of women heard. This paper highlights the interconnectedness between economic and political aspirations within the revolutionary context, particularly the concern of high living costs and womens political representation, and places emphasis on the working-class women's contributions to the success of the French Revolution. By analyzing the women's statements during protests and petitions, the paper presents evidence that challenges the perception that the demands of working-class women were solely driven by immediate material needs.