March 8: ten Spanish women who will inspire you on Women’s Day

He March 8 we want to vindicate our rights and advance in the long-awaited fight for equality. For this, it is essential to keep in mind as many Spanish women who are pure inspiration on Women’s Day for their commitment and strength, despite not having favorable environments. Some of them already occupy the place they deserve in history, while others we are convinced that they will achieve it in due time because they are a benchmark today. Meet them all!

The Spanish feminist who is possibly the most recognized in history cannot be missing from this list. When the presence of women was very reduced in the universities of our country, she managed to graduate in law and practice as a lawyer, even processing divorces. But without a doubt, she will be remembered for being one of the great promoters of the female vote in Spain.

She managed to be a successful novelist, while proclaiming herself a pioneer of feminism. She introduced literary naturalism to Spain, which was later cultivated by so many writers of her time and later. Of her, her combative character stands out, since she did not stop denounce educational inequality that existed between women and men.

We have talked about how difficult it was for a woman to enter university at the end of the 19th century, something that Concepción Arenal experienced in her own flesh, since she had to enroll to study as if she were a man and dress as such. She is considered one of the pioneers of feminism in Spain, exercising an activism from which she prominently denounced the condition of women in politics.

As in so many other matters, philosophy did not seem to be a women’s thing if we pay attention to history. That is why we admire so much not only that María Zambrano exercised it, but that she became one of the most important figures of Spanish thought of the 20th century, obtaining such important recognitions as the Prince of Asturias in Communication and Humanities in 1981, without forgetting that was the first woman to win the Cervantes Prize in 1988.

In the field of artistic creation, it is essential to stop at the painter Maruja Mallo, avant-garde, rebellious and transgressive, who participated very actively in the intellectual life of our country during the twenties and thirties. Together with Margarita Manso, she formed an important group of women devoted to art and thought, called the Hatless.

Died in 2019, she is considered one of the most relevant women of recent times. She is one of the pioneers of molecular biology in Spain and among her achievements as a researcher, a vital discovery in biotechnology stands out: that of the DNA polymerase of the bacteriophage phi29 virus. She was a distinguished member of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, the Royal Spanish Academy and the US National Academy of Sciences. Her legacy as a researcher and teacher is unquestionable today.

Within the most recent artistic panorama, we cannot ignore the legacy of Ouka Leele, a Spanish photographer, poet and painter who managed to stand out with her work and her speech, making it remain to date, despite her recent loss. she is considered the representative of the so-called postmodernity and the eclectic spirit.

In the sports field, Edurne Pasaban is recognized as the first woman in history to have climbed the 14 highest mountains in the world. After reaching 14 eight thousand on the planet, he holds positions of responsibility in different companies and has a great activity as a lecturer.

This illustrator is known for her project Illustrated Feminist, created in 2015 and with which it aims to make sexist violence visible and sensitize the population to combat this violence from day to day and as a community. Do not miss his most warrior cartoons in his books Enlightened Feminism (Montena), diary of a rebel (Random Comics), Princess 2.0. (Move your tongue) and i can’t live without me (Move your tongue.)

It may sound more familiar to you because she is the founder of the “Club de las Malasmadres”, of which she is the creative director and in which she works very actively to fight for work and family reconciliation, claiming their own space for women and mothers. In addition, she is the director and co-founder, together with Maite Egoscozábal, of Yo NO Renucio, a non-profit association that makes visible and raises awareness about the lack of reconciliation measures through all kinds of actions and initiatives.