Elizabeth Badinter
May 1, 2012
THE French feminist and best-selling author Elizabeth Badinter has been the subject of wall-to-wall coverage in the mainstream press in recent weeks on the occasion of the North American edition of her book, The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women, which was a bestseller in France two years ago.
It is no surprise that Badinter should receive such notice. Aside from the feminist message of her book, she is a woman with towering connections in the communications industry.
Badinter, 66, is a Jewish professor of philosophy at the elite École Polytechnique in Paris. Her deceased father was Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, founder of the company Publicis Groupe, one of the top four multinational advertising and communications companies in the world. She is the major stockholder in Publicis and chairperson of its Supervisory Board. She is one of the wealthiest people in France, with a fortune valued at more than 750 million euros.
Badinter is the wife of Robert Badinter, the former French Minister of Justice under the socialist government of François Mitterand who was influential in eliminating capital punishment. The couple has three sons and lives near Luxembourg Gardens.
I will offer my thoughts on Badinter’s book later today. Stay tuned.
