Departures of note

Yvette Roudy was a French Socialist politician and a leading figure in the feminist movement. Born in Pessac, she began her career as a typist before becoming involved in feminist activism, translating Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique into French and editing the journal La Femme du XXe siècle. She joined the Socialist Party in 1971 and signed the Manifesto of the 343 advocating for the legalization of abortion.

After François Mitterrand's election in 1981, Roudy was appointed Minister of Women's Rights, a post she held until 1986. She sponsored landmark legislation bearing her name, including the 1982 law providing for the reimbursement of abortion by social security and the 1983 law on professional equality between women and men in the workplace. She also worked to promote parity in politics and officially celebrated International Women's Day.

Roudy served as a member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1981, as a deputy for Calvados in the National Assembly from 1986 to 1993 and again from 1997 to 2002, and as mayor of Lisieux from 1989 to 2001. She was decorated as an officer of the Legion of Honour and authored several books on women's rights and politics.