Louise van den Plas facts for kids
Louise van den Plas (born January 24, 1877, died December 4, 1968) was a Belgian woman who worked hard for women's rights. She started the very first Christian feminist group in Belgium. A feminist is someone who believes in equal rights for women and men.
Biography
Louise van den Plas was born in Brussels, Belgium. She became interested in feminism after reading books by authors like Louis Frank and Marie de Villermont.
In 1899, Louise met Marie Duclos in Brussels. Marie Duclos had started a group in France called "Christian Feminism." Louise went to Paris to learn more about this movement. When she returned to Belgium, she connected with journalist Rene Henry and Rene Colaert, who was a member of the Belgian Parliament. These men were interested in women's rights because Belgium was moving towards universal suffrage, which means everyone would get to vote. They thought that allowing women to vote could help their political party.
In May 1902, different groups who supported women's rights joined together to form a "Feminist Union." Louise van den Plas represented the Catholic group in this union. On May 6, 1902, she officially started her own group called "Le Féminisme chrétien de Belgique" (Belgian Christian Feminism). This group wanted to improve women's rights and encourage other Catholics to support feminism, while still respecting Catholic family values. They published a monthly magazine and held talks to share their ideas.
Through her group and working with other feminist organizations, Louise helped women gain more rights. For example, they helped women be part of family councils and manage guardianships. They also pushed for women who were legally separated to have full control over their own lives and money. Thanks to their efforts, a woman's statement was accepted in official civil records starting in 1908. Louise also called for teachers to be paid equally, no matter if they were men or women. She supported women's labor unions alongside Victoire Cappe.
Louise van den Plas gained support from some Catholic newspapers and a group called the Belgian Democratic League for women's right to vote. On March 3, 1912, her Christian Feminism group, with help from Cyrille van Overbergh, founded the Catholic League of Women's Suffrage. "Suffrage" means the right to vote. In January 1913, this League started an important petition, which Louise signed. Many other feminist groups joined them, and together they formed the Suffrage Federation the next month.
During World War I, the magazine of Christian Feminism stopped being published. Louise then started a new group called "Union patriotique des femmes belges" (Patriotic Union of Belgian Women) with Jane Brigode and Marguerite Nyssens. This group helped women by providing them with supplies and support during the war. After the war ended, the magazine started up again. From 1921 to 1940, Louise also wrote articles for the daily newspaper Le Soir. She passed away in Willaupuis, Belgium, on December 4, 1968.
Works
Louise van den Plas wrote many books and articles about feminism and women's rights. Here are some of her works:
- Féminisme, 1899
- Pourquoi les chrétiens doivent être féministes (Why Christians Should Be Feminists), 1904
- Le Féminisme chrétien de Belgique (Belgian Christian Feminism), 1905-1940 (the magazine)
- Revision du code civil la séparation de biens avec communauté d'acquêts substituée al communauté légale comme Droit commun en l'absence de Contrat de mariage, 1908
- Etude sur la revision du titre du contrat de mariage, 1909
- L'éducatioin ménagère (Household Education), 1909
- Een katholieke vrouw over het vrouwenkiesrecht (A Catholic Woman on Women's Suffrage), 1911
- Le suffrage féminin : Discours prononcé à l'Assemblée générale du Féminisme Chrétien de Belgique : Suppl. au Féminisme Chrétien, mars 1912 , 1912
- Féminisme et catholicisme (Feminism and Catholicism), 1912
- Le suffrage des femmes : discours prononcé au Congrès de la Ligue démocratique, à Courtrai, le 25 septembre 1911, 1913
- Le féminisme chrétien (Christian Feminism), 1913
- L'union pratriotique des femmes belges (The Patriotic Union of Belgian Women), 1915
- Féminisme maternel (Maternal Feminism), 1920
- Quelques souvenirs de vingt ans d'efforts (Some Memories of Twenty Years of Efforts), 1922
- Le féminisme chrètien (Second Edition), 1925
- Ou en est le féminisme en Belgique? (Where is Feminism in Belgium?), 1931
- La lutte contre l'alcoolisme ses ravages en Belgique spécialement du point de vue familial, des moyens en le vaincre, 1944
- Rapport d'activité présenté à l'Assemblée générale, 1952
- Une grave responsabilité des élites, 1953
See also
In Spanish: Louise van den Plas para niños
