Two feminist activists from different generations, Claudine Monteil and Julie Marangé, come together to share their common commitment to women's rights. Claudine Monteil, a writer and activist who fought alongside Simone de Beauvoir, reflects on her journey and her determination to pass the torch to younger generations. Alongside her, Julie Marangé, founder of Feminists in the City, discusses the positive impact of intergenerational sisterhood in her mission to revive the legacies of forgotten feminist figures.
“Never forget that all it takes is a political, economic, or religious crisis for women’s rights to be called into question. These rights are never guaranteed. You must remain vigilant throughout your lives.”
These were the words Simone de Beauvoir spoke to Claudine during a feminist demonstration in 1974. At the time, Claudine was the youngest signatory of the Manifesto of the 343, a bold declaration in which women publicly stated that they had undergone abortions—an act of defiance in 1971.
A committed feminist since the birth of the Women’s Liberation Movement, Claudine Monteil is the author of numerous works documenting the legacy of Simone de Beauvoir, with whom she fought for sixteen years until Beauvoir’s passing in 1986. Among her notable books, translated into multiple languages, are Les Amants de la Liberté, Sartre et Beauvoir dans le siècle (Lovers of Freedom: Sartre and Beauvoir in Their Century), Les Sœurs Beauvoir (The Beauvoir Sisters), and Simone de Beauvoir et les femmes aujourd’hui (Simone de Beauvoir and Women Today). Claudine actively supports Feminists in the City in all its initiatives.
Julie Marangé is a dynamic young feminist who founded Feminists in the City to bring remarkable yet forgotten women back into the spotlight through engaging guided tours, masterclasses, and training programs. She creates immersive feminist experiences that empower women, helping them recognize their strength, influence their surroundings, and develop tools to analyze their oppression. Through her work, women feel less alone and more connected to their feminist journeys.
Julie conducts her presentations in both French and English, giving international visibility to French feminism—a much-needed perspective.
Beyond her work with Feminists in the City, my association, Femmes Monde, unanimously invited her to become one of our two vice-presidents. At Femmes Monde, we organize monthly discussions with women making an impact worldwide, and Julie’s insights, activism, and dynamism as a deeply committed young feminist bring immense value to our work.
True feminism must be intergenerational—this is what makes it strong. Personally, having fought for women’s rights in France for over fifty-five years (I’ll be 75 this year), I feel constantly inspired by Julie’s initiatives. She makes me feel as if I’m still twenty, and I find immense joy in the feminist energy she shares—not just with me, but with so many others. Thanks to Julie, I’m experiencing a second feminist youth!
Because I love learning and believe in young people—just as Simone de Beauvoir once believed in me—I decided to attend one of Julie’s feminist tours in Paris. It was an absolutely fascinating and invigorating experience. During the tour, Julie realized that I was a feminist from the 1970s and that we might have shared experiences and even common goals.
Just because I’m 74 (soon to be 75) doesn’t mean I’ve stopped fighting. On the contrary! Many feminists from my generation are still deeply involved and highly active in associations. We are the gray panthers of feminism—still very much panthers!
Claudine attended a feminist tour I was leading in Paris. She introduced herself and spontaneously contributed invaluable insights about women’s history and their rights throughout the visit. I was absolutely captivated by her extraordinary stories of fighting alongside Simone de Beauvoir, by her unwavering sisterhood, and by her feminist strength and resilience.
A few weeks later, I asked her to become the Godmother of Feminists in the City—a way to celebrate the power of intergenerational sisterhood.
Claudine Monteil & Julie Marangé
It was the way she opened up a world of women’s history—both past and present—with such energy and passion. Women’s history needs to be rediscovered, as if we were uncovering traces of women who were deliberately erased from memory by male-dominated power structures. Julie has taken on the mission of bringing them back to life in a vibrant, engaging, and inspiring way.
Right away, I saw her work as essential in helping young women feel motivated, supported, and uplifted—something that was sorely lacking in my own youth. Simone de Beauvoir was always there to support and believe in me, just as she was for all young feminists of the 1970s when I was only twenty. Together, we managed to change women’s rights in France!
Feminism is a lifelong commitment, and for me, that means supporting younger feminists today—especially Julie and the young women of Feminists in the City. I tell her: You, the granddaughters and great-granddaughters of Simone de Beauvoir, will go beyond our wildest dreams! In fact, that’s already happening—on March 8, 2024, when the right to abortion was enshrined in the French Constitution, I was invited to stand alongside the President of the Republic and the Minister of Justice for the official signing. This recognition came because I was the youngest signatory of the Manifesto of the 343 in 1971 and fought for years alongside Simone de Beauvoir and Gisèle Halimi.
That moment also gave me the opportunity to remind young feminists of something Simone de Beauvoir once told me. In 1974, at 24 years old, after four years of feminist activism, I enthusiastically told her:
“Simone, we’ve won!” – “Yes, Claudine, but only temporarily. A political, economic, or religious crisis will be enough to threaten our rights again. You must remain vigilant for the rest of your life.” I repeat this message to every new generation of feminists because it has, unfortunately, proven to be true time and again.
An intergenerational sisterhood and unwavering support—both of which are incredibly precious. Without Claudine, I probably would have given up on Feminists in the City a long time ago.
One of the greatest strengths of the feminist movement in the 1970s was the way multiple generations fought together. Even today, I believe this unity is essential—it gives the movement extraordinary power. My greatest joy is seeing Julie and the young women around her surpass the goals we set in past decades, go beyond our dreams, and tackle issues and objectives we hadn’t even imagined.
To encourage transmission, it’s crucial for feminists to have a strong presence on social media—including older feminists. Julie does remarkable work on Instagram, for example. TikTok seems especially important for reaching younger audiences, while LinkedIn—where both Julie and I write—allows us to engage in professional and intellectual feminist discourse. And despite its reputation, ex-Twitter remains a key platform where journalists, activists, and politicians interact, making it a powerful tool for advocacy.
But to truly build this intergenerational strength, young feminists must not dismiss older generations or see them as outdated. Together, we are an unstoppable force. Personally, my age doesn’t stop me from finding immense joy in discovering the initiatives of young feminists, supporting them, and offering guidance when needed. By working together, younger feminists may come to realize that feminism is not just a movement—it’s a lifelong commitment. And to encourage them, I’ll leave them with this thought: Feminism is about devouring life!
Claudine is absolutely right: working together across generations is essential. We must focus on what unites us as feminists rather than what divides us. That’s how we move forward with real power. Sisterhood is an unshakable weapon against the patriarchy—let’s use it. By learning from past generations, we will make equality shine even brighter in the future.
