Historical Context

Biography of Julieta Lanteri

Julieta Lanteri emigrated from Cuneo, Italy to La Plata, Argentina in 1879. She was the first woman to attend the National College in La Plata. Lanteri earned a degree in Pharmacology in 1898. Then, she entered the Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires to receive a medical degree. Lanteri traveled to Europe from 1907 to 1920 to study standards in hospitals, asylums, and schools. Upon returning to Argentina, she worked to apply healthcare reforms to improve healthcare for women, unmarried mothers, and children. Lanteri was also a well-known social reformer and suffragette in Argentina. In 1905, Lanteri helped create the Argentine Association of Free Thought. Four years later, she was involved in organizing the first International Women’s Congress. Then, she helped organize the first National Child-Welfare Congress.

In 1911, Lanteri gained Argentinian citizenship when she married her husband. After becoming an Argentine citizen, Lanteri voted in the 1911 July elections for Deliberative Council. She was the first woman to vote in South America. However, Argentine women could not officially vote until 1947. In 1918, Lanteri formed her own political party, the National Feminist Union. The following year, she ran for National Deputy. Lanteri also attended the plays based on her candidacy, La Doctora de Lantera and La biblia en verso. One night, she even appeared on stage and thanked the playwrights for their work. Her presence in the plays demonstrates how well-known she was in Buenos Aires. The plays also provided exposure to her political activities. She campaigned for universal suffrage, equal rights for women, better working conditions, professional training for women, prison reform, bans on the sale and manufacture of alcohol, and bans on regulated houses of prostitution. She continued advocating for women’s rights and running for National Deputy until 1932. On February 23, she was hit by a car and killed. It is unknown whether her death was an accident or a calculated murder. Over a thousand people attended her funeral.

The Women’s Rights Movement

Male and female Latin American intellectuals were well aware of the women’s movement in Europe, and eventually, it spread across the world. Political activists like Emmeline Pankhurst inspired women all over the world on women’s rights issues, especially with respect to civil status, family, and participation in literary life. Julieta Lanteri traveled to Europe often and most likely brought her feminist ideas from there. Lanteri was even referred to as “the Pankhurst of Argentina” by the Herald. Regardless, women would not gain the right to vote until Juan Perón was in power. His wife, Eva, was also an influential advocate for women’s rights.

The Play’s Response

Juliana states in the play that “it is important that we have a female defender in Congress. To defend their rights that have been usurped by men”. The women not only desire equal rights, but they recognize that men continue to disclaim their fight for equal rights. When Juliana makes statements like the one cited above, it becomes clear that Argentine women were influenced by European and/or American women. In 1914, Emmeline Pankhurst published her book My Own Story. Within her book, Pankhurst made statements like the following, “Men make the moral code and they expect women to accept it. They have decided that is entirely right and proper for men to fight for their liberties and their rights, but that it is not right and proper for women to fight for theirs.” All across the world women were speaking up and standing up for their rights. It is no surprise that the Argentine women were right there with them. Juliana even mentions the shouts of women in Europe finally reaching the Americas.

Temperance Movement

The temperance movement often went hand in hand with the women’s rights movement. The idea of temperance likely spread to Latin America from Europe along with feminism. The temperance movement was a movement against alcoholism. People, especially women, began to believe that alcoholism was directly related to poverty and domestic abuse. These were topics that negatively affected women greatly, so they fought against them.

The Play’s Response

While the women in the play were discussing the changes they would make, alcohol was mentioned. They said they would prohibit alcohol in cafes and stores. All the women agree that men have drinking problems. From the female perspective, alcohol makes men think they get away with everything. The women also agree that the men offend the female dignity when they drink.

Women & Politics Abroad

The National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA) was the largest and most influential suffrage organization, advocating for women all over the world fighting for their equal rights. First wave feminism had become a large part of society and activism worldwide. Confrontations between suffragist groups and government increased, which ultimately led to an increase in violence and imprisonment among women. The number of women brutally raped, abused and force-fed eventually forced the British government to initiate the “Cat and Mouse Act”, which gave a temporary discharge to prisoners in poor health and helped release women from jail.

At this time, activist Emmeline Pankhurst focused on the working class for women and started the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), declaring equal workers rights for women worldwide; more specifically, professional careers for women. 

Argentine Politics

After gaining independence in 1816, the Argentine government was a controversial topic. This newly independent country had a lot of decisions to make. Would they have federalist government or a centralist government? Would they have a liberal leader or a conservative leader? The conservatives won out, until 1916. One hundred years after independence, Hipolito Yrigoyen was elected in the first free election. Yrigoyen was a radical and was presiding over the country when the plays took place. The radical party was not concerned with women’s rights. Women instead, aligned themselves with the socialist parties. The socialist parties allowed women full membership. They were then allowed to found Socialist Women’s Centers.

The Play’s Response

In the play, the political discussions revolve around the lack of women’s rights and the changes they would make to Argentina. There is a brief reference to the Unitarios. The Unitarios were part of the centralism movement after independence was gained. Crisóstomo compares his wife to the Unitarios, saying she also will not give up on her ideas.