Yvette Roudy, France's First Minister for Women's Rights, Dies at 97

Yvette Roudy, France's first Minister for Women's Rights, died on August 18, 2026, at age 97 in Cabestany. Appointed by President Mitterrand in 1981 after 23 years of Gaullist and Giscardian rule, Roudy held the cabinet post until 1986. She later helped inspire France's 2000 parity law, which constitutionally mandated equal male and female candidate lists in most elections.