Jacqueline was the youngest of four children born to Robert Wavre and Esther (née de Montmoulin) in Merkwiller-Pechelbronn, Alsace.
She studied at the University of Geneva and became an apprentice saleswoman before working in a factory manufacturing Elna brand sewing machines.
In 1970, she married professor and fellow socialist Alexandre Berenstein, who worked at the University of Geneva and as a judge at the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.
[6] In 1984, she founded and led the Fondation Émilie Gourd, which sought to develop and publish information on women's issues in Romandy.
[7] From 1996 to 2006, she co-chaired the Association Suisses et Internationaux de Genève, which campaigned for Swiss entry into the United Nations.