The Rise of Professional Women in France Gender and Public Administration since 1830

This history of professional women in positions of administrative responsibility illuminates women's changing relationship to the public sphere in France since the Revolution of 1789. Linda L. Clark traces several generations of French women in public administration, examining public policy and politics, attitudes towards gender, and women's work and education. Women's own perceptions and assessments of their positions illustrate changes in gender roles and women's relationship to the state. With seniority-based promotion, maternity leaves and the absence of the marriage bar, the situation of French women administrators invites comparison with their counterparts in other countries. Why has the profile of women's employment in France differed from that in the USA and the UK? This study gives unique insights into French social, political and cultural history, and the history of women during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It will interest scholars of European history and also specialists in women's studies.

List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. Defining a Feminine Sphere of Action, 1830–1914: 1. Public roles for maternal authority: the introduction of inspectresses, 1830–70; 2. Educating a new democracy: school inspectresses and the Third Republic; 3. Addressing crime, poverty, and depopulation: the Interior ministry inspectresses; 4. Protecting women workers: the Labor administration; Part II. Steps toward Equality: Women's Administrative Careers since the First World War: Introduction: the First World War: a '1789' for women?; 5. New opportunities for women in central government offices, 1919–29; 6. The challenges of the 1930s for women civil servants; 7. Gendered assignments in the interwar Labor, Health, and Education ministries; 8. Firings and hirings, collaboration and resistance: women civil servants and the Second World War; 9. After the pioneers: women administrators since 1945; Select bibliography; Index.

Linda L. Clark traces several generations of French women in public administration, examining public policy, politics and attitudes, and women's work and education. This history of professional women in positions of administrative responsibility illuminates women's changing relationship to the public sphere in France since the Revolution of 1789.