Cécile Brunschvicg (1877–1946) and the Politics of Women’s Work in France, Europe and Beyond

This article analyses the trajectory of Cécile Brunschvicg (1877–1946), an activist involved in two major feminist organisations in France during the first half of the twentieth century. Brunschvicg was a representative of reformist feminism, active in middle-class feminist organisations, who engaged in cross-class activism, addressing the working and living conditions of women workers. Brunschvicg’s activism took various forms: although it operated mainly through the organisations in which she participated and held prominent positions, she was also a prolific writer, who published numerous press articles and participated in many feminist congresses. The author argues that Brunschvicg was a significant feminist figure, whose activism extended transnationally and influenced the politics of women’s work in France, Europe and beyond. Her reformist strategy of gradual progress aimed to establish links with MPs and leading social figures in order to achieve feminist demands. In doing so, she consistently defended women workers and their unionisation, particularly during the two world wars when women replaced men sent to the front, and during the attacks on women’s right to work provoked by the economic crisis of 1929. This article contributes to a gendered global labour history through the lens of an intersectional and inclusive biographical perspective.