Why were women disappointed by the constitution of 1791 in France? What laws did the revolutionary government introduce to improve the lives of women?
The women were unhappy with the constitution of 1791 because the Constitution of 1791 reduced them to passive citizens. They demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly and to hold political office. Only then, they felt, would their interests be represented in the new government.
The women protested for their rights such as the voting right and an international suffrage movement was carried out.The following laws were introduced by the revolutionary goverment to improve the status of women-- (a) State schools were established and schooling was made compulsory for all girls.
- (b) Their fathers could no longer force them into marriage against their will. Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely and registered under civil law.
- (c) Divorce was made legal and could be applied for by both women and men.
- (d) Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small buisness.