This compelling study traces the changes in women''s lives in France from 1789 to the present. Susan K. Foley surveys the patterns of women''s experiences in the socially-segregated society of the early nineteenth century, and then traces the evolution of their lifestyles to the turn of the twenty-first century, when many of the earlier social distinctions had disappeared.

Focusing on women''s contested place within the political nation, Women in France since 1789 examines:

- The on-going strength of notions of sexual difference
- Recurrent debates over gender
- The anxiety created by women''s perceived departure from ideals of womanhood
- Major controversies over matters such as reproductive rights, significant cultural changes, and women''s often under-estimated political roles

By addressing and exploring these key issues, Foley demonstrates women''s efforts over two centuries to create a place in society on their own terms.