Алисия Мореу де Хусто: Пионер феминизма и социализма в Аргентине

Argentine politician

Alicia Moreau de Justo (October 11, 1885 – May 12, 1986) was an Argentine physician, politician, pacifist and human rights activist. She was a leading figure in feminism and socialism in Argentina. Since the beginning of the 20th century, she got involved in public claims for opening rights for women. In 1902, joined by a fellow activists, she founded the Feminist Socialist Center of Argentina and the Feminine Work Union of Argentina.

Alicia Moreau de Justo was born in London, United Kingdom, on October 11, 1885, as the youngest of two sisters. Her father, Armando Moreau, fought for the Paris Commune in 1871. with whom he had Alicia. Alicia Moreau de Justo was a women's rights activist who served in various roles such as teacher, doctor, and journalist. She sought to promote human rights and women's justice, with a specific focus on women's reproductive health and voting. This ideology led to the creation of La Union National Feminista and the Socialist Women's Suffrage Committee. and director of the publication Nuestra Causa (Our Cause). In 1914 she graduated from university as a medical doctor, and some years later, she joined the Socialist Party. Shortly after that, she married the leader of the Argentinean Socialist Party, Juan B. Justo, and together they had three children. By 1918, she had founded the Unión Feminista Nacional (National Feminist Union). After her husband passed away in 1928, She supported the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and was a regular critic of Peronism, which she viewed as antidemocratic. She continued working until her final years, and helped found of the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights in 1975.

The motives behind Alicia Moreau de Justo’s actions and the organizing of the Argentinean Socialist Party are aligned with the Argentinean government and its workings. Argentina's political landscape is shaped by both the ideas of Peronism and Marxism, expressing Argentina's values of tradition and socialist regimes. The Argentinean Socialist Party emerged in the political landscape hoping to mitigate women's discrimination and mistreatment in the more capitalist centered society. Moreau was a leader of the socialist movement in Argentina. She actively participated in the Argentinean Socialist Party, and advocated for various causes, such as reproductive rights, equality in the workplace, and women's education. Moreau's main focus and concerns center on women's education and literacy. Several restrictions from the government limited women in Argentina, such as the Civil Code, which restricted women and their rights in both the public and private spheres. Some of these were: the Feminist Socialist Center, the Feminine Socialist Gathering and the National Council of Women. NFU's political action provided invaluable support for sanctioning of many laws recognizing women's rights and the protection of women's work. NFU also helped defend single mothers. This organization published the monthly magazine Nuestra Causa, to promote their ideas and organize women activists during electoral rallies, as well as massive petitions to the Legislative Power.