20TH-CENTURY FRENCH FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY AND ITS CONTEMPORARY SIGNIFICANCE

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Huyền, Ngô Bích Đào

Abstract

Abstract: 20th-century French feminist philosophy emerged against the backdrop of French and European cultural and social contexts that imposed strict norms/restrictions on women. It was also the result of persistent struggles by feminist thinkers such as Simone de Beauvoir, Luce Irigaray, and other progressive French intellectuals. These feminist thinkers supported women's rights and gender equality through both their theoretical work and their activism. At the core of 20th-century French feminist philosophy are fundamental women's rights: the right to work freely, political freedom, reproductive rights, and the right to abortion — all viewed through a gendered lens. This body of thought provided the theoretical foundation for the French feminist movement at the time and remains relevant in today’s struggles for gender equality in France, as well as globally, including in Vietnam.

Keywords: feminist philosophy, French feminist philosophy, fundamental women’s rights