The Women’s Suffrage Movement and Feminism in Argentina from Roca to Perón

On September 23, 1947, the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires filled with jubilant men and women celebrating a new law that gave women the same right as men to vote in all elections. President Juan Domingo Perón had achieved a major victory for his regime. In the years that followed, Perón, with the help of his wife, Evita, courted female voters and created opportunities for them to participate in his broad-based political coalition. However, the suffrage law generated considerable controversy, including from supporters of the movement. Harsh criticism came from the Left, especially from the Socialist Party, the earliest advocate of women's suffrage in Argentina. Also, feminists who had done so much to build the case in favor of voting vehemently opposed the reform, viewing the Peronist suffrage plan as a cynical attempt to boost Evita's political career. Providing an overview of the women's suffrage movement from its earliest stages through the passage of the 1947 law, this study examines what Argentina's history can tell us about the moment when a society agrees to the equal participation of women in the political realm. Front Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 14 Chapter One: The Origins of the Argentine Suffrage Movement, 1900–1910 28 Women’s Rights and Feminism in the Nineteenth Century 32 The Birth of Organized Feminism 38 The Consejo Nacional de Mujeres 44 Socialist Feminism and Working-Class Women 52 The Free-Thinkers Congress and First Fragmentation of Feminism 64 The International Women’s Congress 71 Conclusion 75 Chapter Two: The First Triumphs of Argentine Feminism, 1910–1926 78 The Sáenz Peña Law and Radical Reform 81 Feminism Under Yrigoyen and World War I 87 Working Women in the 1910s 94 The First Suffrage Projects and the Semana Trágica 99 The National Feminist Party and “Practice” Elections 107 The Path to Civil Code Reform 113 Conclusion 119 Chapter Three: Progress and Setbacks, 1927–1943 121 Suffrage in San Juan 124 The Period of Expectation 130 Suffrage Legislation and the Infamous Decade 134 Women’s Groups and Issues During the Infamous Decade 138 The Defense of Rights 145 Conclusion 152 Chapter Four: The Rise of Peronism and a “New” Feminism, 1943–1947 154 The Origins of Peronist Feminism 157 Evita and the Suffrage Law 164 Evita vs. the Suffragists 168 The Law Passes 176 Conclusion 180 Chapter Five: Consolidating Victory:The Peronist Women’s Party, 1947–1955 182 Evita and the Development of Peronist Feminism 185 The Peronist Women’s Party: From Formation to Election 190 The First Test of the PPF 200 The PPF in Congress 207 Conclusion 212 Conclusion 214 Notes 226 Bibliography 265 Index 275 Back Cover 281 "Providing an overview of the women's suffrage movement from its earliest stages through the passage of the 1947 law, this study examines what Argentina's history can tell us about the moment when a society agrees to the equal participation of women in the political realm."--From publisher description