Irène and Frédéric hyphenated their surnames to Joliot-Curie after they married in 1926.
The Joliot-Curies had two children, Hélène, born eleven months after they were married, and Pierre, born in 1932.

Between 1941 and 1943 during World War II, Joliot-Curie contracted tuberculosis and was forced to spend time convalescing in Switzerland.
Concern for her own health together with the anguish of her husband being in the resistance against the German troops and her children in occupied France was hard to bear.
She did make several dangerous visits back to France, enduring detention by German troops at the Swiss border on more than one occasion.
Finally, in 1944, Joliot-Curie judged it too dangerous for her family to remain in France and she took her children back to Switzerland.
Later in September 1944, after not hearing from Frédéric for months, Irene and her children were finally able to rejoin him.

Irène fought through these struggles to advocate for her own personal views.
She was a passionate member of the feminist movement, especially in regards to the sciences, and also advocated for peace.
She continually applied to the French Academy of sciences, an elite scientific organization, knowing that she would be denied.
She did so to draw attention to the fact they did not accept women in the organization.
Irène was also involved in many speaking functions such as the International Women's Day conference.
She also played a big role for the French contingent at the World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace, which promoted the World Peace movement.
In 1948, during a strike involving coal miners, Joliot-Curie reached out to Paris Newsletters to convince families to temporarily adopt the children of the coal miners during the strike.
The Joliot-Curies adopted two girls during that time.

In 1956, after a final convalescent period in the French Alps, Joliot-Curie was admitted to the Curie hospital in Paris, where she died on 17 March at the age of 58 from leukemia, possibly due to radiation from polonium-210.
Frédéric's health was also declining, and he died in 1958 from liver disease, which too was said to be the result of overexposure to radiation.

Joliot-Curie was an atheist and anti-war.
When the French government held a national funeral in her honor, Irène's family asked to have the religious and military portions of the funeral omitted.
Frédéric was also given a national funeral by the French government.

Joliot-Curie's daughter, Hélène Langevin-Joliot, went on to become a nuclear physicist and professor at the University of Paris.
Her son, Pierre Joliot, went on to become a biochemist at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
Irène and Frédéric hyphenated their surnames to Joliot-Curie after they married in 1926. The Joliot-Curies had two children, Hélène, born eleven months after they were married, and Pierre, born in 1932.
Between 1941 and 1943 during World War II, Joliot-Curie contracted tuberculosis and was forced to spend time convalescing in Switzerland. Concern for her own health together with the anguish of her husband being in the resistance against the German troops and her children in occupied France was hard to bear. She did make several dangerous visits back to France, enduring detention by German troops at the Swiss border on more than one occasion. Finally, in 1944, Joliot-Curie judged it too dangerous for her family to remain in France and she took her children back to Switzerland. Later in September 1944, after not hearing from Frédéric for months, Irene and her children were finally able to rejoin him.
Irène fought through these struggles to advocate for her own personal views. She was a passionate member of the feminist movement, especially in regards to the sciences, and also advocated for peace. She continually applied to the French Academy of sciences, an elite scientific organization, knowing that she would be denied. She did so to draw attention to the fact they did not accept women in the organization. Irène was also involved in many speaking functions such as the International Women's Day conference. She also played a big role for the French contingent at the World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace, which promoted the World Peace movement. In 1948, during a strike involving coal miners, Joliot-Curie reached out to Paris Newsletters to convince families to temporarily adopt the children of the coal miners during the strike. The Joliot-Curies adopted two girls during that time.
In 1956, after a final convalescent period in the French Alps, Joliot-Curie was admitted to the Curie hospital in Paris, where she died on 17 March at the age of 58 from leukemia, possibly due to radiation from polonium-210. Frédéric's health was also declining, and he died in 1958 from liver disease, which too was said to be the result of overexposure to radiation.
Joliot-Curie was an atheist and anti-war. When the French government held a national funeral in her honor, Irène's family asked to have the religious and military portions of the funeral omitted. Frédéric was also given a national funeral by the French government.
Joliot-Curie's daughter, Hélène Langevin-Joliot, went on to become a nuclear physicist and professor at the University of Paris. Her son, Pierre Joliot, went on to become a biochemist at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
Irène Joliot-Curie