Feminist Movements of the Franco Regime: A Look at the Lives of Women under Fascism.

Spain under the Franco dictatorship was infamous for the lack of rights accessible to many Spaniards. One such group was women, who had been subjected to maintaining traditional roles during the dictatorship. Many Spanish women, however, did not share Franco’s views on what makes a woman, including one by the name of María Dolores Calvet. Calvet’s life beginning in the 1950s illustrates an example of one of these women who continued the fight for women’s rights following the defeat of the Republic in the Spanish Civil War. She would take part in the larger feminist movements of the Franco regime that evolved throughout the second half of the 20th century.  

            Many women during the Franco era were pushed away from the regime through Catholicism. After the defeat of the Republic, the new fascist government sought to push the image of a nation led heavily by masculinity. Some examples of this portray men as nation-builders and scholars, while women were coined as the bearers of children and caregivers. Women are guided by Catholicism to follow the laws of the religion in the way that suited the Franco government.[1] This notion toward women did not sit right with many, especially those who shared the same ideas that the Republic held. María Dolores Calvet was one of these individuals. Calvet was raised in a prominent Catholic family, attending a school run by nuns throughout her childhood. By the time she reached adolescence, she realized that Spanish society was held together with the help of Catholicism which hindered many Spaniards from reaching true equality. Calvet would state, “I am formal, I fulfilled all the obligations, but one day I thought, and thought this cannot be, right?[2]

              Women distraught with the Franco Regime had some options when it came to fighting their cause. For Calvet, she joined a militant communist organization that helped with social issues called Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya during her time in college.[3] It is no surprise that Calvet would seek to join a communist organization to further women’s rights. It was widely known that Marxist feminism led the feminist movement during the era of Franco. They sought to improve the lives of women in topics such as work and sexuality, which many women agreed needed to be improved.[4] However, there were many women who continued to support the Franco dictatorship despite the fact that they held fewer rights than men. One example of this is the Sección Femenina, an organization run by women and formed under the fascist government to push for the traditional role of women as housewives. For those who supported this organization, the term feminist meant traditionally feminine traits tied to nationalism.[5] The Sección Femenina provided education for women that would turn them into the women the nationalists deemed ideal. These women were trained for jobs in social services, especially those that served the needs of children as women were naturally viewed by Francoists to be essential in the upbringing of Spanish children.[6] Many women like María Dolores Calvet did not see the Sección Femenina in the same light and wanted to achieve more. The Communist Party allowed women like her to find their place among others who hoped to bring real equality to Spain.

As the Franco era continued rolling on, it was becoming apparent that some women were unhappy with the level of control they had in the Communist Party in Spain. María Dolores Calvet was one of these people. Communist leaders were leaving much to be desired for many women, which led Calvet to join the feminist organization called the Les Jornades Catalanes de la Dona.[7] One of the major issues for women like Calvet was that despite the communist party championing women’s rights, they did not go far enough. Much of the reason for this belongs to the fact that toward the final years of the Franco Dictatorship, starting in the 1960s and ending in 1975, was that democracy was becoming more prevalent in Spain. Another reason for this was the booming economy during this era, which had the effect of lowering the number of people participating in groups on both sides of the political spectrum.[8] An article written at that time in 1977 would show further proof that many women were leaving the Communist Party during the time. The article by Anita Bennet and Jill Nichols writes, “They now view Marxism as totally incapable of bringing about the liberation of women.”[9] This shows that María Dolores Calvet’s progression in life during the era of Franco was quite similar to other women.

María Dolores Calvet still held onto her devotion to helping both the women and people of Spain after the death of Franco. Calvet would play a vital role in the estatuto de autonomía de Cataluña de 1979 (Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 1979). She was a member of the drafting committee that led the Spanish region of Catalonia to become an autonomous community.[10] Despite Calvet’s commitment to the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 1979, she realized that she did not enjoy politics very much. When the dictatorship finally came to an end, Calvet would respond to a question about her involvement in politics by stating, “Well, because politics as a profession seems terrible to me, eh?”[11] Instead of devoting her life to politics, Calvet would seek out other career choices where her voice could be heard. One of these careers was in journalism, where Calvet wrote for multiple newspapers and magazines. Another job she would take was as the director of communications at Sabadell City Hall, the city where she was born. Her hard work and dedication to the people of Spain highlight the incredible spirit of Spanish women that had been kept back during the era of Franco.[12]

María Dolores Calvet would spend the rest of the 20^th century working various odd jobs. Her life is just one example of what many women experienced during the era of Francisco Franco. Calvet is still alive today, continuing her quest in the feminist organizations of Spain and the betterment of all Spanish people.

[1] Di Giovanni, Lisa Renee. “MASCULINITY, MISOGYNY, AND MASS IN ‘LOS GIRASOLES CIEGOS’ BY Alberto Mendez.” Anales de La Literatura Española Contemporánea 37, no. 1 (2012): 39–61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23237310.

[2] Calvet, María Dolores. Interview with Jessica Cordova and Andrea Davis; July 23, 2010. Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist Dictatorship. University of California, San Diego. 1, 6.

[3] Calvet, Interview with Jessica Cordova and Andrea Davis. 2.

[4] Valiente, Celia. “An Overview of Research on Gender in Spanish Society.” Gender and Society 16, no. 6 (2002): 767–92. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3081934.

[5] Tolliver, Joyce. “Politics and the Feminist Essay in Spain.” In A Companion to Spanish Women’s Studies, edited by Xon de Ros and Geraldine Hazbun, NED-New edition., 243–56. Boydell & Brewer, 2011. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.ctt7zssz9.22.

[6] "La Sección Femenina: Women’s Role in Francoist Spain." Mujeresycaridad.Umwblogs.Org. November 12, 2012. https://doi.org/https://www.bing.com/search?q=Seccion+Femenina&FORM=AWRE&ntref=1.

[7] Calvet, Interview with Jessica Cordova and Andrea Davis. 5.

[8] Encarnación, Omar G. “Spain after Franco: Lessons in Democratization.” World Policy Journal 18, no. 4 (2001): 35–44. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40209776.

[9] Bennett, Anita, and Jill Nichols. “Women’s Movement in Spain.” Off Our Backs 7, no. 8 (1977): 10–10. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25772604.

[10] Calvet, Interview with Jessica Cordova and Andrea Davis. 8.

[11] Calvet, Interview with Jessica Cordova and Andrea Davis. 8.

[12] Calvet, Interview with Jessica Cordova and Andrea Davis. 14.