Actitudes of Women (women's actitudes) under the first Francoism: the practice of abortion in Zaragoza during the 40s

Abstract

When defining the first period of Franquismo, (which was characterized by strong political repression, moral censorship, and the imposition of rigid gender patterns), it is important to deconstruct the discourses imposed on women by the power groups of the dictatorship. But limiting the analysis to discourse offers an image of the State as a solid patriarcal system under which all women were victims, who accepted the rules they were given. Therefore, the importance of investigating the different social practices of women such as abortion, make it difficult for the regime to reach its natalistic goals and transgress the rules of the prevailing catholic morality. Analysing this practice shows the necessity of interpretative frames which enable the understanding of the actitudes and social practices of women inside an authoritarian and patriarcal regime.