10 Things Women Have Achieved That You Didn’t Know

Some things are already so common in our daily lives that we don’t even pay much attention or think about it. Taking birth control pills, voting and getting divorced, for example, are women’s rights today – but it wasn’t always that way. It took a lot of struggle and action from amazing women and the feminist movement for any change to emerge.

That’s exactly what we’re going to praise today! Check out some milestones in history that featured the action of feminist movements and women full of attitude. We still have a long way to go, but these achievements are there to show that the world is ours and nothing can stop us! #gogirls

1. Launch of the Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizens (1791)

Marie Gouze, known as Olympe de Gouges, was a pioneering feminist who spread her opinion and struggle through writing and plays. She wanted women to have the same rights and duties as men. The pamphlet Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizens, written in 1791, called for women to act. However, in 18973 Olympe was guillotined for questioning the values ​​of the time.

The pamphlet written by Olympe de Gouges was bold and reactionary in that period, as women had no voice. Even after more than 200 years, this courage continues to inspire many women around the world.

2. Creation of the first computing algorithm (1843)

Although currently the IT and Computer Science market is dominated by men, it is a woman who has the title of the first programmer in history. Augusta Ada King created notes on an analytical engine by her colleague Charles Babbage between 1842 and 1843. This information remained valid for more than a century after publication.

In 1982 a programming language was named “Ada” in honor of this important character. On October 13, Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated worldwide, which seeks to remember the feats of women in mathematics, engineering and technology, encouraging more women to follow in this universe.

3. Conquest of the female vote in Brazil (1932)

It was not until 1932 that women gained the right to vote. That’s not all: at the time, only women authorized by their husbands, widows or single women could go to the polls. Women gradually conquered their citizenship in spaces with male predominance. And yet it took a lot of movement to get to that point.

Biologist Bertha Lutz is one of the pioneers of the Brazilian feminist movement. Having known women’s struggle in Europe and the United States, she was directly responsible for changing laws that gave women basic rights. She created the Brazilian Federation for Feminine Progress (FBPF) and stated that voting was not a privilege, but an obligation, and that there should be no gender distinction.

4. Creation of the contraceptive pill (1961)

Margaret Sanger, a nurse and sexologist, is credited with coining the term “birth control”. Along with scientist Gregory Pincus, gynecologist John Rock and biologist and feminist Katharine McCormick, she was responsible for the discovery of the contraceptive pill, which began its studies in 1953 and was marketed in 1957.

Margaret believed that women would not have the same rights as men until they were sexually free. She wanted it to be possible for a woman to take control of her body, deciding whether or not she wanted to have children.

5. Enacted the Married Woman Statute (1962)

If we take into account what the Civil Code of 1916 said, married women had no decision-making power. It was necessary to have authorization from the husband to work outside the home, for example. It was only in 1962 that Law 4,121/62, the Statute of Married Women, emerged, abolishing the incapacity of women.

Through this statute, it was possible for the woman to work outside the home, in addition to having the right to inheritance and requesting custody of the children in the event of separation. This gain made the role of women a little closer to that of men, but the genders were only considered equal under the law with the 1988 Constitution, less than 30 years ago.

6. World’s first female president (1974)

Isabelita Perón assumed the government of Argentina in 1974, after the death of her husband Juan Domingo Perón. The government had inherited a series of problems, such as workers’ strikes, inflation and political violence, and the measure taken by the then president was to declare a state of siege and reform the ministry. The crisis spiraled out of control and Isabelita was deposed by the military in 1976.

Although Isabelita was not the most popular of politicians in Argentine history, the fact that a woman was at the head of a country for the first time was a major milestone.

7. Sanctioned the Divorce Law (1977)

It was not until the late 1970s that marriage dissolution became a reality. It was a claim made by the feminist movement and it generated a lot of controversy at the time. Until then, married people continued with a legal bond until the end of their lives. It was possible to make the request for “disquite”, but the marriage bond remained.

The Divorce Act brought the possibility that people could remarry once more. And only the 1988 Constitution meant that an individual could marry and divorce as many times as he wanted. After all, the pursuit of happiness is up to each one!

8. Creation of the State Council for Women’s Rights (1987)

Created in 1987 and one of the pioneers when it comes to women’s rights councils in Brazil, the State Council for Women’s Rights (CEDIM/RJ) resulted from the demands of feminist movements in Rio de Janeiro. Its purpose is to develop public policies from a gender perspective, aiming at equal opportunities between men and women.

The actions carried out by CEDIM gained credit with the female public, which led to the creation of councils in other states, the creation of the Superintendence of Women’s Rights-SUDIM/RJ in 2007 and, later, the Subsecretariat of Policies for Women.

9. Created the Maria da Penha Law (2006)

According to the UN, the Maria da Penha Law is the third best law in the world. It was from its creation that violence against women, whether domestic or intra-family, began to have stricter penalties for aggressors.

The law took its name from Maria da Penha Maia Fernandes, a pharmacist from Ceará who fought for decades to see her attacker arrested. Her ex-husband assaulted her and tried to kill her more than once, making her a paraplegic. He served only a third of his sentence and is now free. Maria da Penha has three daughters and is the founder of an NGO that fights domestic violence.

10. Approved the Femicide Law (2015)

Sanctioned by the then Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, the Femicide Law makes the murder of women because of gender discrimination or because of domestic violence hideous. The law brought an amendment to the Penal Code, providing for the action as qualified homicide.

The time of the sentence may be longer in some specific cases, such as femicide against children under 14 years of age, elderly people, during pregnancy or in the trimester after childbirth. This law came to take stricter measures regarding the high rate of violence against women in Brazil.

This is just a brushstroke in important achievements and movements throughout history. There are several women who strive daily to promote change and make the world a fairer place that seeks equality. We continue in the fight!