In 1888, Marie Popelin became the first Belgian woman to receive a doctorate in law. But her accession to the bar was refused. So Marie became a potent activist and early feminist. She led the Belgian League for Women’s Rights. But she never achieved what she set out to achieve. Regardless, as a political campaigner, Marie gained national acclaim. To this day, she is a revered icon of Belgian history. This is the story of how Marie made her name, but not quite how she intended to.
The Affairs of the Pioneer of Gender Equality
1883. For the era, Marie was remarkably well-educated. After a stint as a teacher, she began studying law at the ULB, where she graduated. Despite her qualifications, she was denied admission to the bar because she was a woman. She decided to challenge this law in what became known as the Marie Popelin Affair.
Marie wanted more than anything else to start her first practice but she was denied. The injustice she faced rankled her. It sparked national outrage among the burgeoning early feminist movements of Belgium. Marie would be the one who energised the movement. As is so often the way, denial of one opportunity causes a domino effect. Marie took her case to court but she lost her appeal. The court ruled that:
‘The special nature of women, the relative weakness of their constitution, […] their special role in humanity, […] the education they owe to their children, the management of the families and homes entrusted to their care, place them in conditions that are difficult to reconcile with the duties of the legal profession and do not give them the leisure, strength or aptitudes necessary for the struggles and fatigue of the bar.’
The court’s hope was that this would be the end of the matter. But it was not. If anything, it had the opposite effect. Despite Marie’s unsuccessful challenge, she became a leading pioneer in the struggle for gender equality. Simply because she was a woman, seemingly all of Marie’s hard work was for nothing.
Not that that was going to stop her.
The Profound Revolution of the Feminist Councils
Marie Popelin was born on December 16th, 1846 in Schaerbeek, a municipality of Brussels. At first, she pursued a career in education. She went on to teach at Belgium’s first secondary school for girls. Her life as a teacher had a great influence on her. But at the age of 37, she had a change of heart. She decided to study law instead.
Marie was well-educated and came from a family of achievers. One of her brothers was a doctor and another was an army officer. Her sister was also a teacher. Marie had no idea when she graduated that she would find herself at the centre of a legal case, the likes of which Belgium had never seen before. And one that would start a revolution.
The case became hugely controversial and it had an enormous impact on the feminist movement of Belgium. Marie appealed but her appeals were also unsuccessful. Her story was widely reported in the Belgian and foreign press. ‘The Popelin Affair’ inspired Jeanne Chauvin, who had obtained a law degree in Paris in 1890, to apply for admission to the bar. French law was swiftly changed in 1900 and Jeanne was sworn in. Marie’s stand had a profound impact across Europe.
Supported by other noted feminists, Marie decided to dedicate her life to the equal rights of all people. With other feminists, such as Louis Frank and Isala Van Diest, Marie founded the Ligue du Droit des femmes or the League for Women’s Rights. In the years that followed, Marie travelled across the world to form partnerships with other feminist organisations. This culminated in the Conseil National des Femmes belges or the National Council of Belgian Women.
She was committed to providing a united front.
The Unification of Newly Broken Ground
Marie had broken new ground for women in Belgium and the world of law. Marie’s efforts were to create an independent feminist movement outside the world of politics, not linked to the Catholic, Liberal or Socialist parties. It was only a partial success, receiving limited support from the women’s sections of the political parties. Despite this, Marie’s case demonstrated that simply providing young women with access to higher education was insufficient unless further legal changes were also made. She had unified feminist groups across the country and she took her fight to the world.
Despite the hardships she faced, many of Marie’s objectives were met before she died. These legislative reforms did not, however, include two of Marie’s most important demands: universal adult suffrage and equal access to the liberal professions for women. Sadly, Marie would never see these objectives met.
She died on June 5th, 1913 at the age of 66.
The Endeavours of the Tireless Campaigner of the Rights of All
Marie died without ever gaining admission to the bar and indeed women in Belgium were only permitted to practice as lawyers from 1922. That said, since her death, she has become a national hero and to this day, she is celebrated in Belgium for the important role she played in the early feminist movement.
Since her death, the causes she fought for continue to be fought and ground continues to be made toward equality. Marie Popelin was unique. She was a Belgian lawyer and early feminist political campaigner, who decided to take her case to the highest court in the land. Although she lost, she started a profound revolution. As the leader of the Belgian League for Women’s Rights, Marie had an active career as a unifier of women across Belgium and the world.
In no small way, thanks to the efforts of Marie and her tireless endeavours, Belgium finally granted women the right to practice law in 1922. It is so sad Marie never lived to see it but she was, unquestionably, a big part of why it happened at all. She was a trailblazer and she opened the door for generations of women in law to come.
She once said:
A woman is something other than a wife and a mother; she can also have special skills that she must have the right to apply.
International Women’s Day
March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women.
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Image Credit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Popelin
Post Sources
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/marie_popelin, https://visit.brussels/en/article/marie-popelin, https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/marie-popelin/m02q1yc2?hl=en, https://www.google.com/doodles/marie-popelins-174th-birthday, https://focusonbelgium.be/en/Do%20you%20know%20these%20Belgians/marie-popelin-feminist-icon, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Popelin, https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/145745/who-was-marie-popelin-the-brussels-woman-honoured-by-googles-today-ulb-first-female-lawyer-belgium-feminist-pioneer-ligue-belge-du-droit-des-femmes-conseil-national-des-femmes-belge-emilie-timmermans, https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/education/1371976-17th-convocation-ceremony-of-symbiosis-international-university, https://www.monstrousregimentofwomen.com/2018/10/anna-maria-lane-revolutionary-war.html, https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2011/07/anna-maria-lane-soldier.html
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