ON PARITY - ORIGIN OF A CONCEPT - BIRTH O F A MOVEMENT

Parity - meaning full equality between men and women in decision-makin g bodies and, especially, in elected assemblies - is a new idea. In Fr ance, it has emerged within the feminist movement in the wake of the ' 'alternative'' political movements of the eighties. It had an immediat e impact and attracted a large following. Its success derives from the fact that it is based on a principle, that of the necessary equality of men and women, the two components of humanity. The concept of parit y also enables feminist thinking to transcend the traditional oppositi on of similarity and difference between the sexes.