The woman question, equality, and the right to education: France, 1399 to 1793

Abstract

The Woman Question, Equality, and the Right to Education: France, 1399 to 17931. This article explores the relationship between the woman question and equality between the sexes regarding the right to education. The research was centered in France, from 1399 to the French Revolution. Three periods of cumulative creation were defined: That of Christine de Pizan, the first woman to live by her pen and support her family with it; that of Marie de Gournay and Poulain de la Barre, who elevated the term equality to a concept and principle; and that of the Marquis of Condorcet and Olympe de Gouges, who enriched the concept of equality with that of universality, thus extending to all human beings (Condorcet) and specifically to blacks (Condorcet and Gouges) all the rights claimed for women.