The origins of feminism in Brazil trace back to the 19th century. During the Empire of Brazil, some jurists attempted to legalize women's suffrage, with or without the consent of the husband. Later, the republican constitution of 1891 did not exclude women from voting, because they were not considered individuals who could have rights. That made some women request, without success, their inclusion among the voters. The 1891 constitution initially had a clause that gave women the right to vote, but it was abolished in its last version because the idea that politics was not an honorable activity for women prevailed.
Some historical moments of this time were important in the advance of women's struggle, such as the 1917 strikes, the rise of the Communist Party of Brazil in 1922 and, in the same year, the Modern Art Week in São Paulo. In 1919, Bertha Lutz, who is considered a pioneer in the Brazilian feminist movement along with Nísia Floresta, founded the Brazilian Federation for Women's Progress, which fought for voting rights and the right to work without the husband's authorization.
Rio Grande do Norte and Minas Gerais were pioneer states in legalizing the female vote. The first registered female elector was Celina Guimarães Viana. Celina, in 1927, invoked article 17 of Rio Grande do Norte's electoral law, which states: In Rio Grande do Norte, all citizens who meet the condictions determined by Law, will be able to vote and be voted, without gender distinction. On 25 November 1927, she requested to be included among the voters, a request which judge Israel Ferreira Nunes approved.
The Brazilian feminist movement was heavily influenced by the feminist movements in the United States and Europe.
History The republican constitution of 1891 already assured women the right to vote, depending on how it was interpreted. Article 70 stated that are electors all citizens who are above 21. The term "citizens", according to the interpretation of the time, referred only to men. Women only effectively got the right to vote in 1932.
19th Century The Brazilian feminist movement began midst 19th century, when women from several parts of the country started to aim for more political and cultural participation in society, in which, at that time, was patriarchally dominated. During that time, women were perceived in an overall negative manner. If they weren't workers or service providers, women were confined to a domestic bubble – taking care of the house and children, complying with the social constructs that were expected from them. In addition, the possibilities women had to enter an educational system were limited, the possibilities women had to aim for higher education were not possible, since they were seen as beings with questionable intellectual capacity and they had no access to political activities. Women in higher social classes could participate in certain activities in the cultural and artistic fields, such as painting, literature, and music, the same were considered tolerable as long as further specialization didn't occur. Teaching was seen as an honorable profession, however, it was also surrounded by prejudice and limitations. As said by Regina Zilberman,"Destining women to teaching solved several problems: it justified the need to educate them; it solved the problem of the lack of workers for teaching, a profession that was little sought after because it was poorly paid; there was no need to improve earnings, because the salary of the woman should not be superior to man, but additional. These reasons were covered by others, of an ideological nature: the teacher was idealized, calling them mothers and, thus, suggesting that, in teaching, she remained faithful to her nature maternal; the professional element of teaching was denied, because the classroom became a second home; teaching would not be a problem, because it was not work, but an extension of domestic tasks, which stopped the eventual emancipatory tendency that this activity could contain and did not contradict the sexist nature of Brazilian patriarchal society; and the woman-wife-mother association remained untouched, and also idealized, even when she was away from home, earning modest gain.”Zílberman, Regina. "Leitoras de Carne e Osso: a mulher e as condições de leitura no Brasil do século XIX". In: Revista de Estudos Literários, 1993; 1 (1):31-47It was through the dedication of certain women to the press and literature that feminist ideas started to gain notice. According to Zahidé Muzart, “in the 19th century, women who wrote, and who wished to have a career as writers, were feminists, since only the desire of leaving the domestic bubble indicated a thoughtful thinking. So, in its origins, the feminist literature in Brazil was always linked to a feminist emancipation.”Muzart, Zahidé. "Feminismo e literatura ou quando a mulher começou a falar". In: Moreira, Eunice Maria (org.) História da Literatura, teorias, temas e autores. Mercado Aberto, 2003, p. 267The feminist achievements in the 19th century were small, and favoured, in a general sense, only white women from middle and higher classes, but still, in the eyes of Silva & Pedro, “already demonstrated the union in regards to common goals of the feminine sex that would come to influence the next generations of feminists.”Silva, Rebecca Corrêa e & Pedro, Joana Maria. "Sufrágio à brasileira: uma leitura Pós-Colonial do Feminismo no século XIX". In: Caderno Espaço Feminino, 2016; 29 (2)
20th century
In Brazil, the feminist movements were inspired by the European struggles. Nísia Floresta is one of the first to manifest herself as a force in the pursuit of equality for women, as well as Bertha Lutz, who created the Federation for Women's Progress, in 1930; and Jerônima Mesquita, who fought for women's right to vote and tool part in several social and philanthropical activities.
In a national level, the fact that received most attention from all women was having writer, lawyer, and feminist Miêtta Santiago, in 1928, noticing that the prohibition of women's vote contradicted the First Brazilian Republic Constitution(February 24, 1891), already effective at the time. The article states, simply, that “citizens over 21 years old…” with no discrimination of gender. With this in mind, Miêtta filed, as a lawyer, a security mandate and obtained a sentence, which allowed her to vote herself for a federal deputy mandate.Câmara dos Deputados do Brasil (ed.). «Mietta Santiago». Consultado em 5 de dezembro de 2017
The electoral code elaborated in 1933 finally extended the right to vote and the political representation to women; in the constituent of 1934, there was a woman representative, the first woman deputy of Brazil: Carlota Pereira de Queiroz. In 1947, with the help of Bertha Lutz, Pereira de Queiroz founded the Soroptimist Club in Rio de Janeiro, an international association of women who aimed to improve the quality of life of women in their local life conditions.Ana Carla Farias Alves e Ana Karina da Silva Alves (29–31 de maio de 2013). IV Seminário CETROS Neodesenvolvimentismo, Trabalho e Questão Social – Fortaleza – CE – UECE – Itaperi, ed. «As Trajetórias e Lutas do Movimento Feminista no Brasil e o Protagonismo das Mulheres» (PDF). Consultado em 10 de março de 2022Claricia Otto. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, ed. «O feminismo no Brasil: suas múltiplas faces». Consultado em 5 de março de 2022Céli Refina Jardim Pinto (2003). «Uma História do Feminismo no Brasil» (PDF). Consultado em 5 de março de 2022Maria Cristina Volpi e Madson Oliveira, Maria Cristina. «Sophia Jobim e a origem do curso de artes cênicas na E.N.B.A» (PDF)
1960s and 1970s In the 60s and 70s, feminism arose throughout Europe and with in the US and got its impulse from the political and cultural upheavals those regions were going through, which challenged the conservative values of society, and in this context The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir was published.
However, in Brazil the scenario was very different. The country was going through a right-wing military dictatorship. In the height of repression, the feminist movement emerged again through the hands of Romy Medeiros da Fonseca. This movement widened the range of the demands, including the principle of equality between husband and wife in marriage and the introduction of divorce in Brazilian legislation.
During the military dictatorship, women organized themselves, regardless of political parties, age and social class, to form militancy against the military regime. In 1975 the UN organized the "International Women's Year". The issue of women became a topic of discussion in universities and among liberal professionals. In the same year, the International Women's Congress took place in Mexico and simultaneously in Brazil, which sent Bertha Lutz to Mexico as a representative. In Brazil, the movement organized the Research Week on the Role and Behavior of Brazilian Women.Ana Carla Farias Alves e Ana Karina da Silva Alves (29–31 de maio de 2013). IV Seminário CETROS Neodesenvolvimentismo, Trabalho e Questão Social – Fortaleza – CE – UECE – Itaperi, ed. «As Trajetórias e Lutas do Movimento Feminista no Brasil e o Protagonismo das Mulheres» (PDF). Consultado em 30 de março de 2022Claricia Otto. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, ed. «O feminismo no Brasil: suas múltiplas faces». Consultado em 5 de março de 2022Céli Refina Jardim Pinto (2003). «Uma História do Feminismo no Brasil» (PDF). Consultado em 5 de abril de 2022
As a result of this movement, in September 1975, the Centro da Mulher Brasileira was created, an institutionalized body responsible for intermediating and articulating feminist goals in the form of collective action. The Centro da Mulher Brasileira proposed a study center that promoted major seminars and major discussions and research on the condition of women. From there emerged several publications in newspapers and magazines in addition to the production of books.
A very striking fact for feminists was the death of Ângela Diniz, in 1976, by Doca Street, who in 1979 was acquitted. The indignation of feminists brought about the movement that created SOS Mulher. From then on, there was greater protection for women, including those who worked and suffered sexual exploitation and blackmail by employers.Ana Carla Farias Alves e Ana Karina da Silva Alves (29–31 de maio de 2013). IV Seminário CETROS Neodesenvolvimentismo, Trabalho e Questão Social – Fortaleza – CE – UECE – Itaperi, ed. «As Trajetórias e Lutas do Movimento Feminista no Brasil e o Protagonismo das Mulheres» (PDF). Consultado em 30 de Março de 2022Claricia Otto. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, ed. «O feminismo no Brasil: suas múltiplas faces». Consultado em 30 de Março de 2022Céli Refina Jardim Pinto (2003). «Uma História do Feminismo no Brasil» (PDF). Consultado em 30 de Março de 2022
1980s