CBSE Class 9 Answered

The status of women of France in 18th century and the Nazi cult of motherhood highlighted the ironical approach to the question of equal rights for women across the world. It is because in these two regimes, women were not granted equal rights to those of men. In 18^th century France, women were not empowered. After the Revolution voting rights were given only to propertied men. Women had no voting rights and were regarded as passive citizens. During the Reign of Terror, many laws were issued which ordered the closing of women’s clubs. Many women were tried and guillotined. Olympe de Gouges was politically active in revolutionary France. She protested against the Constitution and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen because they did not even give basic political rights to women. She was guillotined.

Similarly in Nazi Germany, women were expected to behave in accordance with Nazi ideologies. The Nazis saw women as mothers whose main work was to become good mothers and rear pure-blooded Aryan children. They could not marry the Jews even if they wanted to. All mothers were  not  equally  treated  in  Nazi  Germany.  Those  mothers  who gave  birth  to undesirable,  mental  or  physically  unfit  children  were  punished.

So we can say that in 18^th century denial of voting rights to women in France and treating women as only the bearers of Nodic Aryans in Nazi Germany actually highlighted the ironical approach to the issue of equal rights for women across the world.