Attitudes toward French Women's Suffrage on the Eve of World War I

This article addresses the issue of elite male opinion in France toward women's suffrage on the eve of World War I. It is based on three poorly known sources from the years 1910-13-two published opinion surveys and the entries in an essay contest sponsored by the Academie des Sciences Morales et Politiques-revealing the attitudes of a sample of male social and political elites. Their opinions can be divided into three broad categories: those in favor, those firmly opposed, and those who expressed qualified support. Social conservatism with regard to change in general appeared to be an important element in male resistance. Those opposed or offering only qualified support adopted two major strands of reasoning: the reassertion of hierarchical sexual difference supported by nature, accompanied by the fear of sex warfare; and dissatisfaction with the existing form of "universal" manhood suffrage, leading to a call for electoral reform that would take precedence over any change in women's political status. But a surprising number also appeared uncertain, even ambivalent or ignorant, about the goals of the suffrage movement.