This presentation will have the following outline. I will first present a brief history of
the French republican tradition, leading to the adoption of the current Constitution which
dates back to 1958. I will then review a 1982 ruling of the Constitutional Council which
decided that quotas for women in local elections were unconstitutional. As a consequence, a political campaign emerged to enshrine the principle of parite in the Constitution. This
led to a constitutional revision in 1999, and a second one in 2008. These constitutional
revisions were implemented into laws promoting equal access for women in politics,
but also in professional and social positions. I will conclude with a brief overview of the
current French situation.
