1st Feminist and Education Congress, one hundred years later

The 1st Feminist and Education Congress, held in Lisbon between May 5th and 9th, 1924, represented an important milestone in the history of the Portuguese feminist movement. It was the first event of its kind organized by a women's association; it received the support of prominent personalities in political and intellectual circles and the support of national and foreign feminist figures and organizations; it received daily attention from the press and was worth, above all, for its variety theme of communications presented for debate and reflection. Of the 25 theses presented to Congress, the political demands of Portuguese women stand out: the situation of women in the family, in marital relations and at work, the role of women in education, assistance, municipal administration and the fight against begging and to alcoholism, the protection of underprivileged children and pregnant women, the nationality of married women, sexual education, abolitionism and naturism.

The Congress was organized by the National Council of Portuguese Women (CNMP) ten years after its foundation by doctor Adelaide Cabete (1867-1935) and professor Maria Clara Correia Alves (1869-1948), with the support of many other feminists. Affiliated with the International Council of Women, founded in Washington in 1888, and representative of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, founded in 1904, the CNMP aimed to federate associations and societies that dealt with the interests of women and children, to create a network of solidarity cooperation in the work of female emancipation and social transformation. Of the feminist associations created in the first two decades of the 20th century, the CNMP was the one that lasted the longest, having gone through three political regimes: the First Republic, the Military Dictatorship and the Estado Novo. There were 33 years of militancy and activism in favour of women's legal, social and political rights until the Estado Novo compulsorily ended it in 1947, when Maria Lamas (1893-1983) presided over the leadership of the collective.

One hundred years later, the International Seminar I Feminist and Education Congress will take place on the 16th and 17th of May 2024 at NOVA FCSH, Campus Campolide, Colégio Almada Negreiros, Lisbon.