DECLARATIONOFTHE

RIGHTSOFWOMANAND
CITIZEN
OlympedeGouges

"Woman,wakeup!"ThusdidOlympedeGouges(d.1793),aself
educatedplaywright,addressFrenchwomenin1791.Awarethat
womenwerebeingdeniedthenewrightsoflibertyandproperty
extendedtoallmenbytheDeclarationoftheRightsofManand
Citizen,GougescomposedherownDeclarationoftheRightsof
WomanandCitizen,modeledonthe1789document.Persecuted
forherpoliticalbeliefs,sheforeshadowedherowndemiseatthe
handsofrevolutionaryjusticeinarticle10ofherdeclaration.The
DeclarationoftheRightsofWomanandCitizenbecamean
importantdocumentinwomen'sdemandsforpoliticalrightsinthe
nineteenthcentury,andGougesherselfbecameafeministhero.

ARTICLEI
Womanisbornfreeandlivesequaltomaninherrights.Social
distinctionscanbebasedonlyonthecommonutility.
ARTICLEII
Thepurposeofanypoliticalassociationistheconservationofthe
naturalandimprescriptiblerightsofwomanandman;theserights
areliberty,property,security,andespeciallyresistanceto
oppression.
ARTICLEIII
Theprincipleofallsovereigntyrestsessentiallywiththenation,
whichisnothingbuttheunionofwomanandman;nobodyandno
individualcanexerciseanyauthoritywhichdoesnotcome

expresslyfromit[thenation].
ARTICLEIV
Libertyandjusticeconsistofrestoringallthatbelongstoothers;
thus,theonlylimitsontheexerciseofthenaturalrightsofwoman
areperpetualmaletyranny;theselimitsaretobereformedbythe
lawsofnatureandreason.
ARTICLEV
Lawsofnatureandreasonproscribeallactsharmfultosociety;
everythingwhichisnotprohibitedbythesewiseanddivinelaws
cannotbeprevented,andnoonecanbeconstrainedtodowhat
theydonotcommand.
ARTICLEVI
Thelawmustbetheexpressionofthegeneralwill;allfemaleand
malecitizensmustcontributeeitherpersonallyorthroughtheir
representativestoitsformation;itmustbethesameforall:male
andfemalecitizens,beingequalintheeyesofthelaw,mustbe
equallyadmittedtoallhonors,positions,andpublicemployment
accordingtotheircapacityandwithoutotherdistinctionsbesides
thoseoftheirvirtuesandtalents.
ARTICLEVII
Nowomanisanexception;sheisaccused,arrested,anddetained
incasesdeterminedbylaw.Women,likemen,obeythisrigorous
law.
ARTICLEVIII
Thelawmustestablishonlythosepenaltiesthatarestrictlyand
obviouslynecessary....
ARTICLEIX
Onceanywomanisdeclaredguilty,completerigoris[tobe]
exercisedbythelaw.
ARTICLEX
Nooneistobedisquietedforhisverybasicopinions;womanhas
therighttomountthescaffold;shemustequallyhavetherightto
mounttherostrum,providedthatherdemonstrationsdonotdisturb

thelegallyestablishedpublicorder.
ARTICLEXI
Thefreecommunicationofthoughtsandopinionsisoneofthe
mostpreciousrightsofwoman,sincethatlibertyassuresthe
recognitionofchildrenbytheirfathers.Anyfemalecitizenthus
maysayfreely,Iamthemotherofachildwhichbelongstoyou,
withoutbeingforcedbyabarbarousprejudicetohidethetruth;[an
exceptionmaybemade]torespondtotheabuseofthislibertyin
casesdeterminedbythelaw.
ARTICLEXII
Theguaranteeoftherightsofwomanandthefemalecitizen
impliesamajorbenefit;thisguaranteemustbeinstitutedforthe
advantageofall,andnotfortheparticularbenefitofthoseto
whomitisentrusted.
ARTICLEXIII
Forthesupportofthepublicforceandtheexpensesof
administration,thecontributionsofwomanandmanareequal;she
sharesallthedutiesicorve'eslandallthepainfultasks;therefore,
shemusthavethesameshareinthedistributionofpositions,
employment,offices,honorsandjobs.
ARTICLEXIV
Femaleandmalecitizenshavetherighttoverify,eitherby
themselvesorthroughtheirrepresentatives,thenecessityofthe
publiccontribution.Thiscanonlyapplytowomeniftheyare
grantedanequalshare,notonlyofwealth,butalsoofpublic
administration,andinthedeterminationoftheproportion,the
base,thecollection,andthedurationofthetax.
ARTICLEXV
Thecollectivityofwomen,joinedfortaxpurposestotheaggregate
ofmen,hastherighttodemandanaccountingofhis
administrationfromanypublicagent.
ARTICLEXVI
Nosocietyhasaconstitutionwithouttheguaranteeofrightsand

theseparationofpowers:theconstitutionisnullifthemajorityof
individualscomprisingthenationhavenotcooperatedindrafting
it.
ARTICLEXVII
Propertybelongstobothsexeswhetherunitedorseparate;for
eachitisaninviolableandsacredright;noonecanbedeprived
ofit,sinceitisthetruepatrimonyofnature,unlessthelegally
determinedpublicneedobviouslydictatesit,andthenonlywith
ajustandpriorindemnity.