Women’s Voices in favour of women’s education in 19th century newspapers: A Assembleia Literária and A Voz Feminina

Abstract

The nineteenth century is a landmark in the history of the Portuguese women’s press. The first women’s contributions in periodicals date from this century, as well as the creation of the first newspapers aimed at women and directed by women, such as A Assembléa Litteraria and A Voz Feminina. These two publications are considered pioneering newspapers in the struggle for the feminine cause. In this sense, we intend to analyze the women’s voices in the nineteenth-century press, an inexhaustible source of information about the mentality of the time. We would like to highlight these women’s ideas in favor of their sex and, particularly, the access to instruction, key to women’s intellectual emancipation. To carry out this investigation, bibliographic and hemerographic sources have been consulted.