Pierrette Coucaud Courses

Pierrette Coucaud was the founding member of the French Women’s Anti-Fascist Movement (AFMF) and a committed feminist, with a lifelong passion for the cause of women’s rights and gender equality. She was born in 1906 in Paris and, at the age of 16, joined the girl scouts. Her political involvement began in 1928 when she became a member of Prime Minister Pierre Laval’s reformist French Radical-Socialist Party. In 1935, she was a founding member of the French Women’s Anti-Fascist Movement (AFMF). This movement was dominated by women, however, the ideological principles of the movement were rooted in men’s anti-fascist organizations, notably within the ranks of the French Communist Party (PCF). AFMF had a broad program of action including the protection of women’s rights, the struggle against fascism, and the support of antifascist refugees. Pierrette Coucaud’s commitment to the cause of women’s rights was evident throughout her career. In 1938 she was the delegate for the International Brigades in Spain, in the same year she attended the international women’s conference in Paris, and from 1941 to 1943 she was the honorary president of the International Alliance of Work for Women (AITW). She authored several books and pamphlets highlighting women’s rights issues, explaining why it was necessary to fight against fascism and for gender equality, among other things. In later years, Pierrette Coucaud remained active in the struggle for women’s rights, attending many women’s marches in later life and even travelling to New York City to demonstrate against the war in Vietnam. She died in 1985, leaving behind a legacy of tireless commitment to the cause of gender equality and social justice.