Women 1938-56

• Franco had an extremely conservative world view, influenced by the Spanish Catholic Church. Part of this was a view that traditional gender roles were God-given and essential to a harmonious society. Franco believed the primary duty of women was to fulfil the roles of wife and mother.
• Spanish films reinforced Franco's conservative view of gender. Films depicted women as heroines who supported their husbands and family. Foreign films which showed women participating in extra-martial affairs were heavily censored to remove scenes that depicted such activities.
• Franco supported the reintroduction of elements of the 1870 Spanish Criminal Code. This made extra-martial affairs illegal for women. Consequently, married women who had affairs would be treated as criminals and could be tried in court and face formal punishment.
• The influence of the Church on the legal system can be seen by the fact that civil marriages were suppressed. Couples who had completed civil marriages during the period of the Republic were required to have a church ceremony to formally legalise their marriage. Couples who didn't get married in a church were legally penalised. For example, their families wouldn't receive family subsidies or social security payments.
• All single women aged 18-35 were expected to complete 6 months of voluntary service with the Falange's Seccion Femenia. This was supposed to prepare them for a life of committed service to Catholicism and the nation. It encouraged activities that were considered to be feminine and was closely linked to child rearing, childcare, household chores and caring for men.
• Abortion was criminalised and there were severe penalties for those who attempted or helped facilitate terminations.
• Certain areas of employment were forbidden to women (becoming judges etc). Government policies were also used to discourage women from working. Married women who worked were not allowed to receive family subsidies or benefits. Even by the end of the 1970s a wife still needed authorisation from her husband to work in commerce, retail or as a tutor.
• Franco's policies promoted motherhood. Influenced by Italy and Germany, members of the Falange introduced policies to encourage childbirth. Women were awarded prizes for large families and family subsidies were introduced to increase the birth rate.
• The attitudes towards women reflected a return to a patriarchal society where equal rights weren't recognised and women were restricted to a largely domestic role.