Évelyne Sullerot (née Hammel; 10 October 1924 – 31 March 2017) was a French

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. She was the author of many feminist books.

Early life

Évelyne Sullerot was born on 10 October 1924 in Montrouge,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. She was raised in a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

family. She was the daughter of André Hammel and Georgette Roustain. Her father, a doctor, made one of the first psychiatric clinics in France. He was Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. Her mother died of hunger and cold at

Valence Valence or valency may refer to: Science * Valence (chemistry), a measure of an element's combining power with other atoms * Degree (graph theory), also called the valency of a vertex in graph theory * Valency (linguistics), aspect of verbs rel ...

station in 1943. Both, very religiously committed to Protestantism socially and politically, were given the posthumous title of Righteous Among the Nations, for having saved eleven Jews during the German occupation. She also was the cousin of the resistant Elisabeth Rioux-Quintenelle and the great niece of one of the initiators of the feminist movement in France, Louise Massebiau-Compain. Hammel, during her year of philosophy, was arrested then judged in

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...

by the Vichy police force for "antinational propaganda and hostile remarks about the Head of the State" (Pétain). Returning to the German zone of occupation, she entered the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

, and joined the OCMJ (Military and Civilian Organization of Young People).

Career

In 1955, with the gynaecologist Marie-Andrée Weill-Halle, she co-founded Maternité Heureuse, an organisation to promote

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

. In 1967, at Paris Nanterre University, she created the first course in the world based on studies devoted to women: the place of women in political life, while passing by Sociology and Women in the Workplace. Sullerot was the author of many feminist books. She was awarded Commandeur de la

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and Grand-Officier de l' ordre national du Mérite for her feminism.

Personal life and death

Sullerot had four children with her husband, François Sullerot. Sullerot died of cancer on 31 March 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullerot, Evelyne 1924 births 2017 deaths People from Montrouge French Resistance members Commanders of the Legion of Honour Deaths from cancer in France 20th-century French writers 20th-century French women writers French feminist writers Socialist feminists