The French Revolution and the Enlightenment

During the French Revolution, women slowly became involved in Freemasonry through the Adoptive Lodges. Freemasonry was quite popular, and “became associated with enlightenment ideals, such as ‘cosmopolitan, relative equality for the literate and prosperous… humanitarianism” (Jacob, 251). In fact, this period of time also saw many new groups and organizations with women. Because of the changing views for equality, women gradually wanted to have more rights. Also, Parisian salons “constituted enlightened female participation and leadership” (Burke and Jacob). Most of the women in the salons were in the upper-class, and it was the new trend for those who were part of the elite. The fact that women were becoming initiated into Freemasonry was definitely a “natural consequence of an apparent French Enlightenment “pressure from women to venture increasingly into the  public arena” (Jacob, 251).

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