History of an expression. Pendant For a long time the date of November 25 celebrated the “Catherinettes”, these single women who, from the age of 25, wore a yellow and green hat on the day of Saint Catherine, patron saint of marriageable women. This sexist ritual, “mirror of social order”in the words of the anthropologist Anne Monjaret, resonated for the youngest as a warning about the risks of becoming “old maids” if they proved too difficult.
With the decline of marriage and the age at which life as a couple begins, the tradition has fallen into disuse. November 25, proclaimed in 1999 “International Day to Combat Violence Against Women” by the United Nations, now gives rise to feminist demonstrations, the next ones to be held from Saturday November 23.
If the expression “old maid” is no longer used, the stigmatization of single and childless women has not disappeared. It even burst into the American electoral campaign with the little phrase from JD Vance, vice-president-elect of the United States, regarding the “unhappy childless cat women” (« a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives »), equivalent of the “old maid” in Anglo-Saxon culture.
Delegitimizing feminist struggles
Where does this contempt come from? The demonization of female celibacy, concomitant with the first wave of the feminist movement, seems linked to the political battles of the 19th century.e century. “Until this period, single women could also be seen as victims of the selfishness of men who did not want to marry,” explains historian Claire-Lise Gaillard, co-director ofHistory of celibacy from the Middle Ages to the 20th centurye century (with Juliette Eyméoud, PUF, 2023).
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Feminism, its mutations and its constants, from one generation to another
Read later
While in France the civil code reinforced in 1804 the submission of women to the authority of the husband, reformist movements called, from the 19the century, to rethink the place of the family and the role of women in society. “In response, conservative circles are adopting a pro-natalist and pro-marriage discourse which highlights negative representations of single women”notes the historian, who is preparing an article on this stigmatization.
The scarecrow image of the surly and asocial “old maid” becomes a weapon to delegitimize feminist struggles. The idea that an accomplished journey involves conjugality and motherhood is “hammered in the 19the century even in medical theories, according to which it is deflowering that makes a woman fulfilled, and not the right to vote.specifies Claire-Lise Gaillard.
You have 52.37% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
Related News :