38

The approach and the sexual act are constituent moments of the individual capital of feminity and masculinity. In 19th-century and during the first third of 20th-century France, a relative feminine emancipation and a softening of the modes of seduction began. The roughness of the previous period, which made sexual conquest close to rape, was succeeded by gentler practices leading to freer relations. Flirtation became primarily a new practice between a one-time relationship and engagement. These changes do not, however, question the fundamental asymmetry of gender roles.