Marta Vergara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marta Vergara
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Unión Femenina de Chile, 1931
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Marta Vergara Varas
2 January 1898 |
| Died | 1995 (aged 96–97) Santiago, Chile
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| Nationality | Chilean |
| Occupation | journalist, writer, women's rights activist |
| Years active | 1925–1976 |
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Notable work
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Memorias de una mujer irreverente |
| Spouse(s) | Marcos Chamúdez Reitich |
Marta Vergara Varas (born January 2, 1898 – died 1995) was an important Chilean writer, editor, and journalist. She was also a strong supporter of women's rights. In 1930, she learned about international feminism. She then played a key role in developing the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM). She helped gather information on laws that affected women's nationality.
Marta encouraged Doris Stevens to include issues for working women in the fight for equality. She was a founding member of the Pro-Emancipation Movement of Chilean Women (Spanish: Movimiento Pro-Emancipación de las Mujeres de Chile (MEMCh)). She edited their monthly newspaper, La Mujer Nueva. After leaving the Communist Party, she moved to Europe. There, she worked as a journalist during World War II. After the war, she returned to Washington, D.C. She continued to work at the CIM, pushing for women's suffrage (the right to vote) and equality. Later, she returned to Chile and continued her writing career.
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Marta Vergara's Early Life
Marta Vergara Varas was born on January 2, 1898, in Valparaíso, Chile. She was the youngest of three sisters. Her parents were Clotilde Varas Valdovinos and Pedro Vergara Silva. Marta spent her early years near the coast. However, the 1906 Valparaíso earthquake destroyed her family home. Her mother also died in the earthquake. After that, her family often moved between the coast and the capital city.
By the late 1920s, Marta was working as a journalist. In 1927, Carlos Ibáñez del Campo became a leader after a political change. Because of this, Marta left Chile and went to Europe. She worked as a correspondent for the newspaper El Mercurio. This allowed her to meet other journalists.
Fighting for Women's Rights
Working with the Inter-American Commission of Women
Doris Stevens was one of the journalists Marta met. Stevens introduced Marta to the work of the Inter-American Commission of Women (Spanish: Comisión Interamericana de Mujeres) (CIM). The CIM was studying women's nationality rights. Marta was asked to be Chile's delegate for a conference in 1930. This conference was part of the League of Nations in The Hague.
The next year, Marta was an alternate presenter for a report. This report was given at a League of Nations meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. After the conference, Marta stayed in Geneva for several months. She worked to gain support for women's rights.
Bringing International Ideas to Chile
When Marta returned to Chile in 1932, she brought new ideas about feminism. She found that the political problems that made her leave had calmed down. People's civil liberties were being restored. In 1933, Marta was supposed to represent Chile at the 1933 Pan-American Conference in Montevideo, Uruguay.
However, before the conference, Marta and Stevens had different ideas. Marta decided not to attend. She believed that the United States' ideas were too strong in the CIM. She felt that the needs of working-class women were not being included. Marta wrote to Stevens, explaining that political and social goals were not enough. She felt that economic inequality also needed to be addressed. Stevens went to the conference without Marta's support. She successfully helped pass the Convention on the Nationality of Women. The next year, Chilean women gained the right to vote in local elections.
Founding MEMCh and New Woman Newspaper
In 1935, Marta joined with other women to create the Pro-Emancipation Movement of Chilean Women (MEMCh). This group included Elena Caffarena, Flora Heredia, and Graciela Mandujano. MEMCh became one of the most important women's rights groups in Chile. It focused on social, economic, cultural, and legal limits for women.
Marta became the editor of the group's monthly newspaper, La Mujer Nueva (The New Woman). This newspaper published articles on various women's issues. It also shared information about international meetings and conferences. In January 1936, Marta and MEMCh took part in an International Labour Organization meeting in Santiago. Marta disagreed with Stevens about full maternity leave. Stevens thought it went against equality goals. However, Marta agreed to represent the CIM at the conference. Stevens needed Marta and MEMCh's support for the Equal Rights Treaty. This treaty faced strong opposition from the U.S. government. So, Stevens was willing to compromise.
Marriage and Political Views
On November 17, 1936, Marta Vergara married Marcos Chamúdez Reitich in Santiago, Chile. The next month, she attended a CIM conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She and Stevens asked the Pan-American Union to recommend that all member countries allow women to vote. They believed this would help promote world peace.
Unlike Stevens and Alice Paul, Marta's feminist ideas were influenced by her study of communism. Her views were more leftist. She believed the family was the ideal political unit. She worked for social unity by protecting family rights. Her husband was a communist at that time, though he later left the party. Marta joined the communist party after they married. However, she often disagreed with his political ideas. At the Buenos Aires conference, Marta and Stevens both spoke for the Equal Rights Treaty. For the first time, Stevens agreed to support maternity leave. The women were able to pass a resolution supporting the treaty. However, the larger Pan-American conference did not pass the law in 1936 or in 1938.
Leaving MEMCh and War Journalism
Marta resigned from MEMCh in 1937, along with Caffarena. It became clear that the Communist members were trying to make the organization focus only on working-class women's issues. Then, in 1939, both Marta and Chamúdez left the communist party. They moved to the United States. They lived briefly in New York City and spent time with their friend Pablo Neruda.
During World War II, the couple lived in Europe. Marta continued her journalism career. Chamúdez, who had learned photography in New York, became a war photographer. He followed General Patton's troops. Marta also spent time with her sister's family, who lived in Paris.
When the war ended, Marta returned to the U.S. She became a full-time worker for the CIM. She was in charge of the CIM's 1949 report. This report suggested that all member countries of the Organization of American States should commit to civil, economic, and political equality for women. The report received support from a conference in Bogotá. This international support helped Chilean women gain full voting rights that same year.
Later Life and Legacy
The couple returned to Chile in 1951. Chamúdez worked as a photo-journalist, writing articles against communism. Marta published her autobiography, Memorias de una mujer irreverente (Memoirs of an Irreverent Woman), in 1962. This book won the Santiago Municipal Literature Award. She continued to write until she lost her sight. She then lived in the Israelita Nursing Home. Marta Vergara died in Santiago in 1995.
Selected works
- Memorias de una mujer irreverente (1962)
See also
In Spanish: Marta Vergara para niños
