María Espinosa de los Monteros facts for kids
María Espinosa de los Monteros (1875–1946) was an important Spanish woman who worked hard for women's rights. She was also a successful business leader. She is best known for starting the Asociación Nacional de Mujeres Españolas (National Association of Spanish Women) in 1918. She led this group until 1924. In 1898, she also started the Spanish part of an American company called Yost Typewriter Company, known as Casa Yost. She ran this company until 1921. Later, in 1926, she became a councillor for the city of Segovia.
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Early Life of María Espinosa
María Espinosa y Díaz was born on May 13, 1875, in Estepona, a town in southern Spain. Her father, Antonio Espinosa Aguilar, was a merchant, and her mother was Juana Díaz Martín. In 1905, she married a lawyer named Antonio Torres Chacón. They had two sons, Antonio and Álvaro. However, they separated in 1911.
María spent her early years in Estepona. Later, her mother remarried, and the family moved to Madrid. It seems she received a very good education. She even traveled to France and England to learn different languages.
María Espinosa's Career and Activism
María Espinosa noticed that there were good job opportunities for women who could work as typists. Using what she learned from her travels, she started Casa Yost in 1898. This was the Spanish branch of the Yost Typewriter Machine Company from the United States. She successfully managed this company in Madrid for over 20 years. The head of the American company, Milton Bartholomew, praised her work.
María Espinosa began her active work for women's rights, also known as feminism, in October 1918. This is when she founded the ANME, or the Asociación Nacional de Mujeres Españolas. In 1920, she gave two important talks in Madrid and Barcelona. In these talks, she explained her main goals for women.
On January 22, 1920, in Madrid, she spoke about how feminism could influence laws. She said that women needed to gain political rights and fair work rights. She also called for better living and health conditions for everyone. Most importantly, she argued for women's right to vote. She believed that women's intelligence could help improve society and create equality between men and women. She also asked for better pay for workers and even suggested creating a feminist political party.
Espinosa also led the Consejo Supremo Feminista de España (Supreme Feminist Council of Spain). This council was started in 1919. It brought together five important women's rights groups. These groups included ANME, La Mujer del Porvenir, la Progresiva Femenina de Barcelona, La Liga para el Progreso de la Mujer, and la Liga Concepción Arenal de Valencia.
She continued to lead ANME until about 1924. Around this time, she moved to Segovia. This was probably because her two sons started studying at the new Academia de Artillería there. She bought a house in Segovia where she lived with her sons and her close friend, Ana Picar. She continued her business activities, especially in buying and selling property, and became quite wealthy.
On January 11, 1926, María Espinosa was chosen to be a councillor for the city of Segovia. Her main job was to create a tourist office for the areas around the city. She also made lists of hotels across Spain. She created posters and brochures to promote tourism in other cities like Madrid and Barcelona. She stopped being a councillor on March 13, 1928.
Later Life and Legacy
Not much is known about what María Espinosa did during the Spanish Civil War. However, she stopped her work for women's rights in 1931. Because of a lung problem, she moved to Alicante. She lived there with her friend Ana Picar for the rest of her life. María Espinosa died in Alicante on December 13, 1946. She was buried in the city's cemetery.
See also
In Spanish: María Espinosa de los Monteros para niños
