Maria Deraismes (17 August 1828 – 6 February 1894) was a French author, Freemason, and major pioneering force for women's rights.

[1] In 1866 a feminist group called the Société pour la Revendication du Droit des Femmes began to meet at the house of André Léo.

Members included Paule Minck, Louise Michel, Eliska Vincent, Élie Reclus and his wife Noémie, Mme Jules Simon and Caroline de Barrau.

[3] Following the ouster of Napoleon III, Deraismes understood the new politics of the day meant a more moderate approach under the Third Republic in order for feminism to survive and not be marginalized by the new breed of male power brokers emerging at the time.

Deraismes's work brought her recognition in Great Britain and she became an influence upon American activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who met her in Paris in 1882.