This article is to share the history and details of women in theFrench Senate.
Women have been able to serve in political office in France since 1944.[1] In 1997, only 5.9% of senators were women.[1] In 2015, 25% of senators were women.[2]
In mid-1999, an amendment was added to theFrench Constitution mandating gender parity in electoral candidates for senators.[3]
General de Gaulle declared in June 23, 1942 that "all men and women will elect the National Assembly".Marthe Simard andLucie Aubrac were appointed members of theProvisional Consultative Assembly of Algiers:.[4] From 1944-1945, 16 women sat as delegates to this assembly[5] Lucie Aubrac,Madeleine Braun,Gilberte Brossolette,Marie Couette [fr],Claire Davinroy,Andrée Defferre-Aboulker [fr],Alice Delaunay [fr],Martha Desrumaux [fr],Annie Hervé [fr],Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux,Mathilde Gabriel-Péri,Pauline Ramart,Marthe Simard,Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier,Marianne Verger [fr], andAndrée Viénot.
In 1946, 6.69% of senators were women, and the percentage decreased until only 1.4% in 1971. As a result of the law of parity, in 2021 women made up a third of the senators.[6]
| Election | Number of women | Total number of senators | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 21 | 314 | 6.7% |
| 1971 | 4 | 283 | 1.4% |
| 2001 | 35 | 321 | 10.9% |
| 2004 | 60 | 331 | 18.1% |
| 2008 | 75 | 343 | 21.9% |
| 2011 | 77 | 348 | 22.1% |
| 2014 | 87 | 348 | 25.0% |
| 2017 | 115 | 348 | 31.8% |
| 2020 | 121 | 348 | 34.8% |
| Name | Term | Region | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marthe Simard | Resistance Representative | ||
| Lucie Aubrac[8] | 1944 | Resistance Representative | |
| Jane Vialle[9][10] | 1947–1948 | Ubangui-Chari | APEAN; Association for Evolution of Black Africa |
| Éugénie Éboué[10] | 1946–1948 | Guadeloupe | Socialist Party, RFP |
| Jacqueline Alduy | 1982–1983 | Pyrénées-Orientales | Not Affiliated |
| Viviane Artigalas[11] | 2017– | Hautes-Pyrénées | Socialist Party |