User:Dr Gangrene/Women's rights in Luxembourg

In spite of its rural character, the predominance of the Catholic church, and social proximity, the beginnings of a feminist movement started to organise in the Grand Duchy in the early 20th century, much like in other industrialised countries. Although there were already several women in the well-off parts of society who were conscientious of their sex's position in society, such as Aline Mayrisch, an intervention from abroad was necessary. On 9 December 1905, Dr Käthe Schirmacher, a German feminist, who was the co-founder of the Bunder der fortschritlichen Frauenvereine and the Weltbund für das Frauenstimmrecht, held a conference at the Athénée de Luxembourg. The purpose of this was to discuss, from a female point of view, what a woman should be.

This inspired several women into action, and on 15 January 1906 the Verein für die Interessen der Frau, Association pour les intérêts de la femme, was founded, with Aline Mayrisch as its first president. This, the first feminist movement, was led by middle-class women. They were conscious of their political and legal inequality, but had little knowledge of the social condition of working-class women. In this matter, it was Adele Schreiber who educated the Luxembourgish feminists, during a conference on 15 March 1907. She drew attention towards child mistreatment in workers' homes, as well as alcoholism and poor housing. It was from this point that Luxembourgish feminism started to join the political and the social struggles. The Association wasted little time in examining the social condition of working-class families. The Association launched a study which focused on the quarters of Clausen, Grund and Pfaffenthal, and visited 258 houses. Instead of trying to do charitable work, the women aimed at social reform, and demanded to be represented in the social office of the capital city, which was refused under the pretext that only charitable associations were represented there.

The Association remained fairly moderate, and distanced itself from the more radical feminist positions advocated at the time. Whilst, in 1907, it did send two delegates to the congress of the Verband fortschritttlicher Frauen, which was to the left of the Allgemeiner deutscher Frauenverein and the Bund deutscher Frauen, it later distanced itself from the Verband's stance vehemently.

The Asociation also distinguished itself from Catholic circles, and had clear links with the liberals. The Luxemburger Wort, close to the Catholics, supported the creation of a Luxemburgischer Katholischer Frauenverbund in 1906. The latter, an attempt by the church to undermine the feminists, had little success and shut down a year later.

The VIF concentrated most of its energies on girls's education. Thus, the association started to hold courses in French, literature, accountancy, and also in nursing and house-keeping. Together with the movements for popular education, it created the Association pour la création d'un Lycée de jeune filles, which would open schools for girls on its own initiative. It was not until the law of 11 June 1911 that the state created a legal basis for secondary schooling for girls. The other side of the coin, however, was that the new law cemented the division between the two sexes, by creating a separate girls's education.

When it comes to political rights, it may appear paradoxical that demanding the female right to vote was not seen as a priority by the VIF. The association instead emphasised social and educational activities. Petitions calling for female suffrage were sent to the Chamber in 1905 and 1906, but the subject was only taken seriously by the left wing of the social democrats. They did not see female suffrage as the principal condition of female liberation: this could only be achieved by social revolution.

It was not until after World War I that female suffrage was introduced. Interestingly, it was the socialist and conservative deputies who voted for female suffrage, while the liberals were vehemently opposed.

With the foundation of Action féminine in 1920, the struggle for a reform of the Code civil, and female political participation, started. After the start of the economic crisis in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the association changed direction. The consequences of this crisis made themselves felt amongst the working class, and women were strongly affected. The Association decided to take concrete measures in support of underprivileged women. In this context, the Foyer de la femme was also created, an organisation which depended on the Socialist Party until 1962. These initiatives were suppressed under the Nazi occupation.

Post-World War II

It was not until after the Liberation in 1944, that the feminist movement found a new lease of life. The country was engaging in reconstruction, and feminist associations established themselves. The three main parties set up women's organisations. the CSV created the Christlich Soziale Frauen (CSF) in 1954. In 1969 the Femmes libérales were founded, and in 1972, the Femmes socialistes.

But it had been the creation of the Union des femmes luxembourgeoises in 1945 which made the communists the first to set up a women's organisation.

Alongside these political organisations, the Femmes juristes and the Fédération nationale des femmes luxembougeoises were created in 1962. In the early 1970s, the principal actor in women's liberation was born: the Mouvement de libération des femmes.

The creation of the MLF in 1972 was influenced by the student revolts of 1968, and the backward Luxembourgish legislation in regards to women's rights. The MLF advocated for a liberalisation of abortion law, a reform of the civil code which still placed women in a place of juridical inferiority, and a reform of adultery legislation.

The MLF did not restrict its demands to political and legal reforms. In the tradition of post-1968 social movements, it agitated for society free of all forms of oppression. This included action in the economic sphere (demands for an end to discrimination in the job market) and the social sphere (campaigning against the image of the woman in her "natural" function of a mother).

The MLF's campaigns were provoked the ire of the conservative and reactionary milieus in Luxembourg: it often had confrontations with the Catholic Church, which the MLF considered one of the major obstacles to its struggle for women's liberation. The most vehement confrontations were over the liberalisation of abortion laws.

At the same time, the MLF was not devoid of internal dissension. There was a schism in 1974, when the socialists, of whom many were members of the MLF, formed a coalition government with the liberals.

Similarly, there were bitter debates between the "radicals" and the more moderate members. The question of collaboration with men, excluded from the MLF in 1974, was also a matter of discord.

But this did not prevent campaigns in common with other feminist movements. The MLF took the initiative in organising a protest on 30 May 1972, in front of the Chamber of Deputies for a reform of the Code civil. They were joined by the Femmes socialistes and the Union des femmes luxembourgeoises.

Bit by bit, the MLF achieved its aims: in 1974, a new marriage law was passed. In 1978, abortion was legalised up until the 12th week of pregnancy (only for medical reasons or for pregnancies as a result of rape). That same year, adultery was decriminalised.

The MLF and its associates also brought about the creation of other women's organisations: "Chance et égalité" in 1979, the "Fraenhaus", the "Fraebistrot" in 1980, and the women's section of the trade union OGBL in 1981.

From 1985, a certain decline was felt: the MLF was, like other movements, the victim of a general decline of militance in society. In 1992, it created the Centre d'information et de documentation des femmes Thers Bodé.

Post-World War II

Further reading