State feminism has become a focus of inquiry for political and social scientists since the 1990s, and the historical description of governmental institutions in charge of women’s interests and rights is still a work a progress. Whereas accounts of French state feminism often focus on the experience of the Roudy ...
(Show more)State feminism has become a focus of inquiry for political and social scientists since the 1990s, and the historical description of governmental institutions in charge of women’s interests and rights is still a work a progress. Whereas accounts of French state feminism often focus on the experience of the Roudy ministry (1981-1986), this paper aims at shedding light on an earlier, much less known experience, that of the Comité du Travail Féminin, an advisory committee for women’s labor that was created within the department of Labor in 1965, and lasted until 1981. This work is based upon an analysis of the archives of the committee, and interviews with former members.
First, I will give an account of the origins of this committee, showing that it was created following demands that had been made by feminine organizations since the beginning of the 1950s. Within the broader context of the post-war French women’s movement, I will stress the role played by individual women who where characterized by their double affiliation, to feminine organizations and political parties. Most prominent among them was Marcelle Devaud, who became the president of the committee.
Then, analyzing the committee’s work over the years, I will focus on three main aspects in order to shed light on some stakes implied in the penetration of women’s rights activists within the state. First, I will analyze the committee’s relationship to the department of labor, which levels issues of organizational and symbolic autonomy: how are the members selected? What is their status? What means are made available to the committee, in terms of budget, space, staff? What level of autonomy does the committee have in defining its subjects of inquiry and its stand? To what extent can it publicize its stands? What is its influence on the department of Labor, and possibly on other departments? Second, I will analyze the nature of the subjects the committee chose to tackle over the years, showing how it gradually extended its official mission beyond the question of women’s labor, raising much broader issues regarding women’s status in society. Third, I will study the discursive aspect of the stand taken by the committee, and analyze the strategic use of expertise and its articulation with political stakes. This will unable me to raise the issue of representation within state feminism, both in the political and in the cognitive sense of the term: how do governmental bodies in charge of women’s rights combine the promotion of feminist goals with the need to fit into traditional state discourse and expertise?
Finally, I will show that although this committee did not have much power and visibility, its experience contributes in explaining some key aspects of French state feminism, among which I will stress: the importance of the issue of labor equality in the way women’s rights are conceived in France, and the crucial role played by the interaction with the European level.
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