Over recent days, the French media has discovered the significant presence of women, of all ages, among the gilets jaunes, a movement sparked by protests over neoliberal president Emmanuel Macron’s fuel tax.

On the ground, at the local level, women been a major presence on the roadblocks, and appeared regularly in media. Many female personalities have emerged among the gilets jaunes, from Priscilla Ludoski, who initiated a petition that attracted nearly one million signatures, to Jacline Mouraud, who posted a video on Facebook that went viral in late October. Mouraud denounced the lowering of spending power, low salaries, tax injustice, and the condescension and the class disdain of the powerful, all summarized by the call — “Macron, resign!”

The participation of women in strikes and social movements is nothing new; this is particularly the case in struggles revolving around the high cost of living. Yet what is really surprising is that women’s involvement is always presented as outside of the norm.