Madrid Woman: Emilia Pardo Bazán
I have chosen to write my women’s choice blog on Emilia Pardo Bazán. I was able to learn a lot about her when we were by her statue! She was a writer! She wrote over 600 stories. Professor Pratt once set a goal to read one of her stories everyday! He got to about 40-ish days and then decided to call it quits. However, he said they were all very good. She was the 22nd person in Spain to have a telephone. She was pro technology but also couldn’t see how planes could be useful. Planes are my favorite technology so I think it’s funny she didn’t think they would be useful. On a more serious note, she used to give great lectures and even became the first woman to be a professor at the university. Sadly, the male professors didn’t like this and would boycott her lectures. This also caused a lot of the students to not attend them as well because they were scared of the repercussions. She ended up leaving the university and went back to giving lectures outside the university. I admire that she didn’t give up, she didn’t stop giving her lectures, she just found a different way that worked better for her. She seems like a pretty cool person!
I think her contribution is important because she was able to break some boundaries! She was the first female professor at the university, and while it didn’t go great, she opened up that door for other women. There always has to be a first in order to help others achieve the same thing and she was that. In today's society there are many women professors! I am taking a class from two amazing ones currently! Furthermore, I think her contribution of giving people someone to look up to when they want to quit is important. She showed people that maybe things won’t work out perfectly but that doesn't mean you should stop doing what you love. She is inspiring and I think that providing people with inspiration is a great contribution.
Emilia Pardo Bazán has been commemorated with a statue in Madrid. It is a very large and nice statue and it is in a better place than Concepción Arenal's statue. However, it still isn't in a main, super populated area (tourist area). Getting more people to see her statute would be better in my opinion. I also think it would have been cool to have her statue put in the place where she used to give her lectures, or even on the grounds of the university where the men did all they could to make her feel unwelcome. I think either one of those places would give the statue more meaning.
Great blog post Molly! She faced harsh obstacles in her career by men boycotting her lectures and not attending them. She left that university, but didn't let those obstacles stop her. She continued to give lectures and made sure to make a change with her knowledge. Fortunately these harsh obstacles do not still stand for most of the world and we as women can be professors and successful. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love your post Molly! She faced so many obstacles because of her gender and was treated so poorly by the other male professors at her school it is so inspirational that she never gave up! I love how you said she broke some boundaries because that is so true! Now it is often women who are teachers and there is a more welcoming environment for them in schools!
ReplyDeleteHey Molly! Your post does a great job talking about the obstacles that she faced during her life. The men boycotting her lectures because she was a woman, and a smart one at that, was not only the beginning of her pushback. Just by being a professor she had to break down a lot barriers in her lifetime. Higher up in the corporate world this still exists today, but it is better than before.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Molly! Learning about her helps strengthen our understand of Madrid as a cultural capital. She was a writer which is important for a cultural capital. She a great example of pushing the boundaries for women and that to not give up on what you want.
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