In France, women did not get the vote until 1945. In this study, the author assesses why French women were repeatedly refused the rights of citizenship and examines the political relationships established by French feminists in order to achieve their goal of one woman, one vote.

France is the home of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, yet women did not vote until 1945, many years later than their peers in other countries. In a country where civil rights had long been a rallying cry, women were not second-class citizens - they were not citizens at all. In this fascinating and ground-breaking study, Paul Smith assesses why Frenchwomen were repeatedly refused the rights of citizenship and examines the political relationships established by French feminists in order to achieve their goal: one woman, one vote.

The strength of Smith's book lies in the wealth of detail which he supplies concerning the relationships between women's groups and political parties ... He also makes a revealing study of the legislative history of the law of 1938 which gave married women full civil capacity ... when Smith engages in sustained analysis he does so to good effect.