María Ángeles Durán facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
María Ángeles Durán
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María Ángeles Durán Heras
30 November 1942 Madrid, Spain
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| Alma mater | University of Madrid |
| Occupation | Sociologist, university professor, writer |
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María Ángeles Durán Heras (born 30 November 1942) is a famous Spanish sociologist. She is known for her important work on topics like unpaid work, the lives of women, and how health affects people's money. She was the first woman in Spain to become a full professor of sociology in 1982. She also helped start the first university institute in Spain dedicated to women's studies. In 2002, she won a big award for her work in economics and law. Even though she retired in 2012, she still works as a researcher today.
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Life Story of María Ángeles Durán
María Ángeles Durán was born in Madrid, Spain. Her family came from a mountain area called Sierra de Gata. Her father was an engineer, and her mother was from La Granja de San Ildefonso. María Ángeles was the oldest of six children. She often visited Extremadura, where her family was from.
Early Education and Studies
María Ángeles became interested in math and languages because of her father. She started studying Political Sciences at university when she was just 16 years old. Back then, it was unusual for many women to be in university. She graduated in 1964 and earned her Ph.D. in Political Science in 1971. Her Ph.D. paper was called The Work of Women. In 1972, she studied more in the United States, focusing on how gender affects social differences.
Starting Women's Studies in Spain
In 1979, María Ángeles Durán started the Women's Study Seminar. This later became the Autonomous University of Madrid's Institute of Women's Studies (IUEM). It was the first institute of its kind in Spain. She was its first director until 1985. She also studied how women are treated in science and how to look at research from a gender perspective. In 1981, she published a book about women and science. In 2001, she helped create an association for women researchers and technologists.
First Woman Sociology Professor
In 1982, María Ángeles Durán made history. She became the first woman in Spain to win a full professorship in sociology. This was a very important achievement.
Teaching and Research Around the World
Durán taught sociology at several universities in Spain. From 1987 until she retired in 2012, she also taught or did research in other countries. She worked at universities in the United States, Brazil, and England. She was also a research professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Even after retiring, she continues to work as a researcher there.
Leadership in Sociology
From 1998 to 2001, she led the Spanish Federation of Sociology. She was also part of the main committee for the International Sociological Association from 2002 to 2006. In 2009, she helped start a UNESCO Chair program about gender equality. She led this program from 2010 to 2013.
Special Honors
María Ángeles Durán has received special honorary doctorates from several universities in Spain. Her work has been published in many different languages, including English, French, and German.
Understanding Unpaid Work
María Ángeles Durán is an expert in looking at the value of unpaid work. This is work that people do without getting paid, like housework, caring for family, or volunteering. She studies how much societies depend on this work, which is often done by women and is not always noticed.
Making Invisible Work Visible
She was one of the first to show how much unpaid work contributes to the Spanish economy. Her research found that Spanish women spend the most time on unpaid work and the least time on paid work in Europe. She looks at things like:
- The value of unpaid work.
- The cost of illness to society.
- The need for care for others.
- How private and public life are connected.
Women's Contributions to the Economy
In one study, she looked closely at the role of homemakers. She found that they are a huge driving force for homes and the economy. Her research showed that in the early 2000s in Spain:
- Men did 70% of paid work, and women did 30%.
- But women did 79% of housework, while men did only 21%.
Durán explained in 2008 that "women work more than men." She calculated that an average Spanish man worked about 36 hours and 43 minutes a week (not counting holidays). An average woman worked about 56 hours and 7 minutes a week.
In 2011, her research estimated that unpaid work was worth about 53% of Spain's total GDP. This shows how important it is. She also said that women often take on the main responsibility for children, the sick, and the elderly. They also help men have more time for their careers.
Overcoming Challenges: Breast Cancer
In the late 1990s, María Ángeles Durán was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was already studying how people use their time. So, she decided to observe her own experience with cancer. She looked at the time spent waiting in doctor's offices or during treatments. She turned her personal struggle into a way to learn and understand more.
In 2003, she wrote a book called Diario de batalla. Mi lucha contra el cáncer (Battle Diary: My Fight Against Cancer). In this book, she shared her six-year journey of fighting breast cancer. The book was praised for helping people understand what it's like to be sick and how it affects emotions.
Personal Life
María Ángeles Durán got married in 1967 when she was 24 years old. She has four children.
Awards and Special Recognitions
María Ángeles Durán has received many awards for her important work:
- 2002: Pascual Madoz National Research Award in Economic and Legal Sciences.
- 2005: Medal for Merit at Work.
- 2008: Honorary Doctorate from the Autonomous University of Madrid.
- 2009: Medal of Extremadura.
- 2010: Culture for Health Award.
- 2012: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Valencia.
- 2013: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Granada.
- 2016: Award from the Federation of Progressive Women.
María Ángeles Durán Award
In 2004, the Autonomous University of Madrid created an award named after María Ángeles Durán. This award is given every two years for new scientific ideas in women's and gender studies. It helps encourage new ideas and improve research that can lead to positive social change.
Selected Publications
- 1981 – Liberación y utopía: la mujer ante la ciencia (Liberation and Utopia: Women Before Science)
- 1988 – De puertas adentro (Behind Closed Doors)
- 1996 – Mujeres y hombres en la formación de la Teoría Sociológica (Women and Men in the Formation of Sociological Theory)
- 1998 – La ciudad compartida: conocimiento, afecto y uso (The Shared City: Knowledge, Affection, and Use)
- 2000 – Si Aristóteles levantara la cabeza. Quince ensayos sobre las ciencias y las letras (If Aristotle Raised His Head: Fifteen Essays on Sciences and Letters)
- 2000 – Nuevos objetivos de igualdad en el siglo XXI: las relaciones entre mujeres y hombres (New Equality Goals in the 21st Century: Relations Between Women and Men) (coordinator)
- 2000–2003 – Los costes invisibles de la enfermedad (The Invisible Costs of Illness)
- 2003 – Diario de Batalla. Mi lucha contra el cáncer (Battle Diary: My Fight Against Cancer)
- 2010 – Tiempo de vida y tiempo de trabajo (Time of Life and Time of Work)
- 2012 – El trabajo no remunerado en la economía global (Unpaid Work in the Global Economy)
See also
In Spanish: María Ángeles Durán para niños
