In the house or in the street: the place of women in “pro-life” campaigning in Belgium (1968-2023)
Type de matériel :
94
In 2023, some young women in the French and Belgian “pro-life” movement defined themselves as “pro-life feminists”. Their stance marks a considerable political shift in relation to the one adopted by the historic “pro-life” organizations and symbolizes a certain renewal. The activists of yesterday are no longer those of today, and their arguments have also undergone a transformation. A socio-historical survey of Belgian “pro-life” groups – Pro Vita and Gloria – will serve as a case study for understanding this generational dissonance, by questioning the “place of women” inside it. This notion refers on the one hand to the gendered division of activist campaigns and to their “gender arrangements”, i.e., the way in which the vision of gender relations has evolved through reproductive issues, specifically contraception and abortion, and on the other how that vision has partly conditioned the place of women campaigners, bringing to light by default the evolution of an entire movement. Based on archives, interviews and observation, the article starts by examining the sociology of activists and gendered divisions within the activist campaign. The second section reveals the gender relations underlying the vision of ideal reproductive norms defended by the two organizations. Finally, the last section offers a hypothesis explaining the different discursive strategies of the two groups studied.
Réseaux sociaux