Abstract:
n 1610, a French noblewoman started the first salon, an event that attracted likeminded intellectuals to socialise and exchange ideas. While salon participation was reserved for the upper class, the cultural institution provided the first secular outlet for educated women to converse with men. At that time, women's value and role in society was framed as the querelle des femmes, or "question of women." The querelle addressed education, marriage and social mobility as it related to women, and scholars have referenced it as an example of the earliest feminist thought. Despite the Enlightenment and Age of Reason, social progress started only a few centuries ago. Following those paradigm shifts, came the realisation that social and cultural institutions are the whole system of human labour. This meant that changes in those institutions wouldn't be contrary to God because they eliminated class and gender limitations.
