PARIS (Reuters) -- Socialist Segolene Royal, 53, not only hopes to win the title in a presidential poll next year, she is also actively using her gender as a campaign weapon, promising French voters change under the hands of a youthful female leader. "Polls show the French have been ready for a woman president for years," said Francois Miquet-Marty from pollster LH2, adding the election of women such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel or Chilean President Michelle Bachelet had helped the cause. "It's about political practice catching up with mentalities."

France prides itself on strong women heroes such as Jeanne d'Arc and decorates its townhalls with feminine statutes of 'Marianne', the nation's symbol of liberty. But the record of today's career women in France is far from glorious.

Only one woman heads a firm in the CAC-40 index of blue chips -- and she is American --, just 12 percent of lawmakers are women, and only two key current ministers are female.

But the fact that women politicians still seem exotic might help Royal win voters frustrated with an elder, male elite.

Royal shot to fame at a time many French felt fed up with the ruling right and wary about the future -- concerns many expressed by rejecting the EU constitution in a vote last year.

The relatively unknown Royal won a regional poll in western Poitou-Charentes on the hometurf of the then conservative prime minister in 2004, becoming the symbol for a wind of change.

Citing her feminist roots and promising a fairer society, the glamorous Royal beat two male rivals over the party ticket.

In a recent poll, 37 percent of French cited Royal's gender as her most positive factor ahead of the 2007 election.

But Royal is not the only woman reaching for the top, and her conservative rival Michele Alliot-Marie, France's defense minister, disagrees on how to play the gender card.

Alliot-Marie, 60, has said she would be ready to seek the nomination of her ruling UMP, but Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy is seen as clear favorite to win that ticket.

"Alliot-Marie has distanced herself from feminism," said sociologist Mariette Sineau.

Despite their differences, Royal and Alliot-Marie both had to fight against low expectations of male peers, and managed to surpass them -- Royal when becoming Socialist candidate, and Alliot-Marie in 1999, when she snatched control of Jacques Chirac's RPR party in defiance of the president.

After the struggle, their gender could now become an asset.

"It's difficult to attack (a woman candidate) ... because it might be interpreted as male chauvinist," Miquet-Marty said.