"Les Années Femme" Exhibition Explores Evolving Roles of Women in the Workforce
Paris – This fall, the Cité de l’Économie will host a captivating exhibition exploring the dramatic shift in women’s roles in society, particularly within the workforce, during the latter half of the 20th century.
Entitled "Janine Niépce: Regard sur les femmes et le travail", the exhibition, which opened on September 26th, 2023, features the poignant work of French photographer Janine Niépce. Through her insightful lens, Niépce captured the changing landscape of womanhood, from the confined domestic sphere of the 1950s to the burgeoning professional opportunities of the 1990s.
Niépce’s unique approach, a far cry from the idealized portrayals common in photography at the time, highlighted the often-invisible labor performed by women within their homes. "For the first time, we no longer saw just dream figures on glossy paper, but women, with disheveled hair, surprised in their kitchen, a child in their arms. (…) Men were used to photographing beautiful women, posing for haute couture models, but rarely doing the laundry!" she stated in her book, Les Années Femme.
Her powerful images document not just the daily routines of women, but also their fight for equality and liberation. The exhibition traces their entrance into the professional world, showcasing women leaving the home to pursue new opportunities. It celebrates milestones like women’s access to traditionally male-dominated fields like science, and captures the emergence of new aesthetics that reflected changing social norms: the "boy cut" haircut, the miniskirt, and women confidently puffing cigarettes at sidewalk cafes.
The exhibition runs until January 5, 2025, at the Cité de l’Économie in Paris.
Janine Niépce : Regard sur les femmes et le travail
Until January 5, 2025
La Cité de l’Économie
1, place du Général-Catroux
75017 Paris
www.citeco.fr
