The Winemaking World and ... Representations of Women at Work
Often, the image of women is used as a promotional object. You'll discover that it's not accurate at all when they represent them at work!
The Recognition of Women in the Winemaking World
A long, arduous process of emancipation
Tying the Vine (1897)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
The recognition of women in the winemaking world comes after a long, arduous process of emancipation. Up until the 1950s, women were mostly assigned subordinate tasks that were deemed easy but were no less tasking than the work carried out by the men. The men kept the physical work for themselves, along with the tasks they deemed respectable.
Planting Canes (1897)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
Until the middle of the 20th century, this became evident in the rare representations of women in the vineyards.
Thanks to a favorable context in the post-war period, working conditions improved and new opportunities and rights were opened up to women, along with more recognition.
Honorary Degree (1889)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
In 1889, Madame Assier, a winemaker in Savennières (Maine-et-Loire) was thanked for maintaining her estate. This is a rare document. Until the Second World War, very few archives mention women.
This absence of women can be explained by a societal reality: women were seen to be housewives, or bound to their husband's profession. It wasn't until 1946 and the Constitution of the 4th French Republic that the concept of gender equality was officially recognized. In 1965, women obtained financial and professional independence, as well as the right to self-management. Then, in 2005, they were allowed to take on the status of contributing spouse (conjointe collaboratrice) without permission from their husband.
Viticulture Work
Tasks deemed feminine and subordinate, but nevertheless essential
Depiction of September in Les Très Riches Heures by the Duke of Berry (vers 1520)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
The presence of women in the vineyards is a long-standing feature in history, they have always participated in winegrowing work, as the 15th century manuscript, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry shows.
This miniature image, taken from the manuscript, represents the month of September and depicts the southern facade of the Château de Saumur (Maine-et-Loire).
Women are seen harvesting.
Woman Planting Vine ShootsAnjou Vine and Wine Museum
In winter, the vine needed to be cropped, and it was the men who did this task. However, women were also present in the vineyards, and tended to the vine shoots. They pull the cropped stalks and formed small bundles of twigs, known as sheaves. This can be seen in this photograph taken at the start of the 20th century. This division of work persisted up until the 1960s.
A Woman's Salary in the Wine Industry (1898)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
In the springtime, women could be found in the vineyards, carrying out various tasks: pinching out, treating the vines, and also protecting the vines from pests. This article showcases this, published in 1898 in the Revue de Viticulture ...
The author explains that women are employed to remove worms from bunches in the vines. They were paid between 1.5 francs to 1.75 francs per day for this task, despite men being paid 3 francs. This was despite the work being exactly the same.
Since the post-war period, evolutions in legislation have aimed to ensure equal pay for men and women.
Women in the Vineyard (avant 1914)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
This photograph, taken in Anjou before the First World War, shows women harvesting the vines.
In fall, women's presence was essential in the vineyards, as they were needed to help collect the fruit. There was a workforce shortage.
The Great War No. 24 (Entre 1914 et 1918)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
In 1906, 43% of the total active population were working in agriculture. The general mobilization of 1914 turned the rural world upside down. All men between 21 and 41 years old were called up to serve in the army. Just as they were in farm work, women were called upon to replace the men in the vineyards and wine estates.
"Stand up, women of France, young children, daughters and sons of the nation! Replace those who have left for the field of battle in the field of labor. Prepare yourselves to present them with cultivated soil, harvests, and sowed fields upon their return!"
President of the Council of Ministers, René Viviani, August 6, 1914.
After the war, when the men returned, women were once again relegated to subordinate and domestic work.
Grape Harvest in Anjou (1945)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
The 1945 harvests had a unique taste, created by the war and particularly capricious weather, which resulted in a poor harvest. For 6 years, women ensured the continuity and running of the winegrowing estates. In this photograph, taken in Vauchrétien (Maine-et-Loire), three women pose with their harvest.
Although 250,000 stayed in the countryside to maintain farming and produce, women temporarily took up a more important position in farming during the war.
Nevertheless, they were called upon much less than they were during the First World War. In 1940, the Vichy regime assigned women mostly domestic tasks as a priority, giving them the job of repopulating the nation.
WinemakingAnjou Vine and Wine Museum
If women were present for all steps of the winegrowing process, they were excluded from one crucial step in wine production: vinification.
According to popular lore, women would spoil wine when they menstruated. An Angers winemaker discussed this exclusion in this extract from an interview held in the 1980s in Anjou.
Grafting by WorkersAnjou Vine and Wine Museum
In the winegrowing world, the work doesn't just take place amongst the vines. The boom in the industry and the automation of processes created need for a new, more automated workforce. This was the case for grafting vine stocks.
This notice from the late 19th century highlights the use of an English grafting machine, which could easily be operated by women.
For a long time less well paid and deemed to be more agile than men, the employment of women is indeed privileged in grafting workshops.
Workers Bottling Wine (vers 1900)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
Ackerman was the first Maison de Fine Bulles in the Val de Loire region. Founded in Saumur (Maine-et-Loire) in 1811, it employed female workers from the very beginning, as shown in this postcard dating from the 1900s.
Female workers remained excluded from the vinification process, but through standardized procedures, they played a part in packaging the wine: rinsing, dosing, and muzzling bottles. These roles were far from any form of responsibility.
Woman Using a Hydraulic Jack (1932)Anjou Vine and Wine Museum
If women were excluded from the wine cellar, the winegrowing equipment suppliers didn't hesitate to use them to showcase their products, in order to show off how easy they were to use, along with the lack of necessity of any particular skills in order to operate them.
In this technical notice printed in 1932, an operating rod in her hand, a woman operates a Système Woelflin hydraulic cylinder wine press. In reality, these tasks were reserved for men.
French Wines—Health Joy Hope (1937) by GallandAnjou Vine and Wine Museum
For a long time, women at work were rarely represented. You'll discover that it's not the case at all when it comes to promoting vineyards and wines!
The Winemaking World and ... Representations of Women at Work.
The Winemaking World and ... Representations of the Female Body.
These exhibitions have been curated by the team at the Vine and Wine Museum of Anjou:
Benjamin Boué, student, studying archives, mediation and patrimony.
Karine Chevalier, Museum Director.
Héloïse Denis, Public Services.
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