Olympe de Gouges demands that the freedom and equality promised to man during the French Revolution be further extended to women. She utilizes “the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” as a platform for basic human rights and transforms the text to create a parallel text for women. The “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen” exposes that the ideals carried throughout the Revolution have failed to reach females. She fiercely argues that in this Age of Enlightenment, it is ignorant that men strive to reclaim their freedom yet completely forget women’s rights.

Olympe de Gouges begins by speaking directly to her oppressor, man. She explains that women are equal and have the same intellectual faculties and therefore, should be treated the same. Then, in a series of articles, she mentions the universal rights of woman and man. “These rights are liberty, prosperity, security and especially resistance to oppression” (25). She then emphasizes that no woman is an exception to the law and will receive the same penalties for wrongful behavior. Further on in the Postambule, the tone seems to shift to one of frustration as she describes women as being blind and asks them to question what they have benefitted from this revolution. She urges that women must cross the barriers against them and gain courage. By continually comparing man to woman, the differences between the sexes blur and De Gouges successfully presents us with a convincing argument.

-Derya Emeksiz