Across Europe and North Africa, financial independence remains the most concrete measure of liberty. The Observatoire des Inégalités reports that women in France still earn 15% less than men on average, and young women are overrepresented in part-time, precarious work (often called petits boulots ). Yet a quiet revolution is happening.
is not a destination. It is a verb. It is the daily, exhausting, joyful act of choosing oneself—again and again—in a world that would prefer girls to be convenient.
For Black, Arab, and Asian young women in France and Belgium, there is an additional layer: the colonial gaze.
This feature explores the three pillars of modern feminine freedom: , bodily agency , and the decolonization of the gaze . Part I: The Economic Key “A girl who cannot pay her own rent is not free,” says Camille , 28, a data analyst in Lyon. “She is a guest in someone else’s life.” Des filles libres
Psychologists and activists note that many young women, even in progressive cities, suffer from what they call “l’auto-censure intériorisée” (internalized self-censorship). They are free to speak, but they hear their father’s voice. They are free to choose a career, but they feel their mother’s fear.
She might be the engineer in Abidjan who supports her younger sisters. She might be the artist in Berlin who paints her own naked body and laughs at the gallery opening.
As the poet wrote: “La liberté, c’est d’exister. Et d’exister, c’est d’oser.” is not a destination
Young women today are the most connected in history. They can access information about contraception, self-defense, and legal rights with a single search. They can find communities of support across continents.
has exploded among women under 35. From Togo to Toulouse, girls are launching online boutiques, freelance writing collectives, and tutoring networks. The goal is not wealth—it is flexibility . “I work from 6 AM to 9 AM, then I take my daughter to school, then I work again during her nap,” explains Aïcha , 24, a single mother in Marseille who runs a hand-made jewelry account on Instagram. “I am tired. But no boss touches my body or my time. That is freedom.” Economic freedom, these women argue, is the foundation. Without it, all other freedoms are conditional. Part II: The Body as Territory If money is the first lock, the body is the second—and the most fiercely guarded.
She might be the teenager in a small village in the Alps who decides, quietly, that she will be the first woman in her family to go to university. For Black, Arab, and Asian young women in
Movements like Les Indivisibles (The Indivisibles) and Diversité fight this by celebrating what they call “la liberté sans déchirure” (freedom without tearing apart). They argue that a truly free girl does not have to choose between her family’s traditions and her individual desires. She can be both. No portrait of modern freedom would be complete without the smartphone.
But the same device that liberates also imprisons.
In Paris, a young woman walks home at 2 AM with her keys threaded between her knuckles—not because she is afraid, but because she has been taught that freedom requires a weapon. In Casablanca, a teenager removes her headscarf in the privacy of her bedroom, staring at her reflection in a moment of quiet rebellion. In Montreal, a university student posts a photo of herself hiking alone in the woods, captioning it “Ma liberté n’a pas de prix.”
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In 2024, France inscribed the right to abortion in its constitution, a world first. The gesture was symbolic but powerful. It declared that a fille libre has the final say over her own biology.