Julie von May (von Rued)

Julie von May (around 1870)

Julie von May von Rued (* 1808 in Bern ; † 1875 ; born Julie von May von Belletruche ) was a Swiss women's rights activist and chairwoman of Solidarité . Her main concern was the legal equality of Swiss women .

life and work

Julie von May came from the May patrician family in Bern . In 1827 she married her cousin Friedrich Amadeus Sigmund von May (von Rued) and lived with him at Rued Castle in the canton of Aargau . Their only daughter Esther was born in 1840. In the biography of her husband written by her daughter, Friedrich von May is described as a man who showed no consideration for his wife. She served him as the secretary of his own theological and legal essays.

Julie von May was over 60 when she joined the Association internationale des femmes (AIF) in 1869 , in which she would soon become the most important woman alongside Marie Goegg-Pouchoulin . At the General Assembly of the AIF in March 1870, she spoke out in particular for the civil law equality of women: "(...) nous considérons l'admission de la femme au level de l'homme devant la loi comme l'une des plus essentielles et des plus urgentes " . ("We consider equality between women and men as one of the most important and urgent (rights)")

In 1872, the woman from Bern published a brochure entitled The Women's Question in Switzerland on the federal revision on May 12, 1872 . The same text had already appeared in the organ of the AIF in 1870. In her argument she referred to the equality article of the Federal Constitution: "All Swiss are equal before the law. In Switzerland there are no subject relationships, no privileges of place, birth, families or persons." ( BV 1848 , Art. 4). She appealed to the pride of Switzerland as the cradle of democracy: "The cradle (...) of all European freedom and equality, Switzerland, holds (...) its daughters more dispossessed and enslaved than any of the surrounding monarchies; the most mature people Europe regards and treats its female component (...) as the most underage child. " In particular, she also criticized the fact that women are on an equal footing with men in their duties (tax law, criminal law), but not in their rights. Julie von May von Rüed saw this discrimination as the cause of many social problems of her time. Because of the "misery of their social position" , the hands of the women are tied to look after themselves. This is followed by a catalog of demands that - with the exception of political equality - contains all the points for which the Swiss women's movement had to fight until 1981: Equal training, equal taxation, equal wages for equal work, equal opportunities in inheritance law, property rights, administrative and right of disposal , Equality in marriage and divorce law. With regard to political rights, she reassured the men, "that we do not demand any political rights (...) as long as we can receive our remedy from the justice of men."

Julie von May was aware that the legislative men would only react if there was massive pressure from women, but this was not possible as long as women did not stand up for their rights due to their poor educational situation. So she proposed the formation of women's associations in various cities in which the women would be informed about their legal situation. In addition, she asked for law and political studies at the girls' schools. The women's associations should be brought together under a nationwide umbrella organization, which for its part could intervene with some weight in federal legislation.

Their pragmatic demands corresponded - in contrast to Goegg-Pouchoulin's maximum demands - the real possibilities of their time. The demand for more autonomy for women did not contradict the dualistic gender image that was prevalent at the time.

Julie von May suffered a stroke in the fall of 1874 from which she did not recover. She died of his consequences in the spring of 1875.

literature

• Julie von May: The question of women in Switzerland. Biel 1872.
• Regula Ludi: May, Julie von. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Beatrix Mesmer : Julie von May and the total revision of the federal constitution. In: Same : in brackets - in brackets. Women and women organizations in 19th century Switzerland. Helbing & Lichtenhahn, Basel 1988, ISBN 3-7190-1025-2 , pp. 94-101.
• Compte-rendu de la première assemblée générale annuelle de l'Association Internationale des Femmes. March 17, 1870, Geneva 1870. Federal Archives E22 / 330, Volume 1.