Background
Roussel was born in France to Louise Nel Roussel and Léon Roussel, though she discussed her father little in her work following his death in 1894. Shortly after her father"s death, her mother remarried Antonin Montupet.
Roussel was born in France to Louise Nel Roussel and Léon Roussel, though she discussed her father little in her work following his death in 1894. Shortly after her father"s death, her mother remarried Antonin Montupet.
As a Neo-Malthusian, feminist, she advocated for birth-control in European as well as a number of other pro-women and motherhood positions within Europe"s capitalist systems Roussel also had a sister born in 1880, Andrée Roussel. Roussel became the first feminist spokeswoman for birth control in Europe.
She was a Neo-Malthusian.
She delivered her messages on birth control, motherhood, women"s place in the capitalist system, and women"s rights within the home through public lectures, journalism, and theatre. In a speech given on April 9, 1904, Roussel claimed she was fighting for "freedom in, for, or of motherhood".
She had support, but political resistance to her message revealed conservative perceptions about gender among the French. She was a political activist.
Roussel was married to Henri Godet, who was very involved in scheduling her work, though he did not travel with her.
Though many of her speeches reference her lack of desire for children and active measures against having children, Roussel herself gave birth to three children. Mireille, a daughter born in 1899, André, son named for sister in1901, and Marcel, a son born in 1904. Roussel"s first son, André, died shortly after his birth in 1902, leading to a deep depression for Roussel.
While anesthetics for child birth were ill-advised and not taught at the time, Roussel found Doctor Lucas, who was willing to work with her.
In the years following World War I, Roussel died from tuberculosis. She wanted to give women control over their own bodies and sexuality.
Her radical position on women's rights wasn"t recognized for another seventy-five years. Roussel was a first-wave feminist.
She spoke out about private and public issues.
Her papers are kept at Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand.
Members of the Neo-Malthusian movement, led by Paul Robin, believed that birth control held the answer to preventing natural disaster, poverty, and suffering by artificially regulating the population.