La represión de las mujeres que aspiraban a ser libres: El Patronato de Protección a la Mujer

Abstract

The achievement of rights that took place during the Second Republic had a direct impact on women’s lives. This was not due—at least not as much as it might seem—to the interests of the republican parties, but rather to the tireless efforts of the two most important female figures of the time: Clara Campoamor and Victoria Kent. However, the positions gained by the Nationalist side during the Civil War and the subsequent Francoist dictatorship resulted in the loss of the freedoms that women had acquired. This research is focused on the repressive tools used by the regime to ensure social control over women: the 1944 Penal Code, the Law of Vagrants and Criminals, and the Patronato for the Protection of Women. The later institution aimed to "moralize" women who had "fallen or were at risk of falling" by using psychiatric hospitals and reformatories. The repression of the Dictatorship endured during the early years of Spanish democracy, showing us the importance of setting limits on formal social control.