Marion Duggan facts for kids

Marion Duggan (born July 27, 1884 – died June 24, 1943) was an important Irish activist and a supporter of women's rights. She worked to make sure women had a fair chance in society and in the legal system. She became one of the first women to work as a barrister (a type of lawyer) in Ireland.

Early Life and Education

Marion Elizabeth Duggan was born on July 27, 1884, in Kilbeggan, Ireland. Her parents were James Duggan, a clerk, and Elizabeth Denham. She was christened in St. Mark's Church, Dublin.

Her father worked for the Bank of Ireland. Because of his job, her family moved often. They lived in places like Rossleaghan, Borris, and Ranelagh.

Marion Duggan studied law at Trinity College Dublin. She graduated in 1910. She was only the third woman to earn a law degree from that university.

Fighting for Women's Rights

Marion Duggan was a strong supporter of women's suffrage. This was the movement to give women the right to vote. She was a well-known suffragist in Dublin.

She wrote articles for The Irish Citizen, a newspaper about women's rights. She even created a new word, "Femaculine," which was used in one of the articles.

Concerns About Justice

Duggan was very worried about how courts treated cases involving violence against women. She saw that men often received light punishments. She believed that giving women the right to vote was key to changing this unfair system.

She was the secretary of the Irish Women’s Reform League. This group was concerned that women in court faced only men. Juries, judges, and lawyers were all men. Women were not allowed to be lawyers until 1919. They could almost never serve on juries until 1976.

Court Watch Committee

Marion Duggan became very upset in 1914. A judge named William Huston Dodd told an all-male jury to consider a man's "natural impulses" when deciding a case. This meant the judge was excusing the man's actions.

Duggan wrote to the Irish Citizen newspaper about this. She then started a "Courts Watch" committee. Women from this group would go to public court sessions. They wanted to see how cases involving women were handled.

Sometimes, people tried to make the women leave the courtroom. But the Irish Citizen argued that women were part of the public. They had every right to be there. Marion Duggan wrote most of the reports about these court actions for the newspaper.

Other Activism

Duggan also spoke out about other issues. She challenged common ideas about women. She also worked for the Irish Women Workers' Union. This union helped women get better pay and working conditions.

Becoming a Lawyer

After the law changed in 1919, women could finally work as lawyers. Marion Duggan became a barrister in 1925. She was the fifth woman in Ireland to achieve this.

In 1928, she was formally appointed by the Law Reporting Council of Ireland. This made her the first woman to report on legal cases. She had worked as a secretary, teacher, and journalist before she could practice law.

Marion Duggan died in Dublin in 1943 from heart failure.

See also

In Spanish: Marion Duggan para niños