Desde la moda al feminismo: mujeres y prensa pedagógica (Italia, s. XIX)

Abstract

From the unification of Italy (1861), women start to partecipate in an increasingly active way to  social and professional life: they enroll at the Normal Schools for getting a diploma that allows them to enter the world of education and earn a salary. In fact we can say this is the first generation of women with a mean culture that puts them in a strong position to exercise a critical view of gender inequality like –for example– to receive a lower wage than their male colleagues with respect to equal work, or underline the relevant inferior status of women in Italian society. In the second half of the 19t^h century newspapers begin to be an extraordinary means of communicating ideas. Since the Sixties and until World War I many newspapers were founded and led by women, often by teachers, dedicated to the dissemination of information, news and culture. Many newspapers live in an eterogeneus border between family, school and education, as amply demonstrate the first titles appear: La madre di famiglia e la maestra elementare italiana, L’istitutrice, La maestra elementare italiana. The need to train teachers professionally achieved the creation of other newspapers like La collaboratrice della maestra, in which the articles are focused on didactics  and preparation of guides that can help teachers working in the classroom. However, in the newspapers more carefully devoted to analyze the political and social situation, strongly vindictive articles on the difficulties of women in the labour market, or on legal inequalities frequently appear. Newspapers like La Voce delle Donne are real pioneers because they are the first to adopt a gender perspective to interpret reality and loudly denounce injustices against women.