Rita de Morais Sarmento facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rita de Morais Sarmento
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| Born | 11 February 1872 |
| Died | 28 March 1931 |
| Occupation | Civil engineer |
Rita de Morais Sarmento (born February 11, 1872 – died March 28, 1931) was an amazing Portuguese civil engineer. She was the very first woman to get a degree in engineering in Portugal. She was also probably the first woman to become a licensed engineer in all of Europe!
Contents
Early Life in Porto
Rita de Morais Sarmento was born in the city of Porto in 1872. Her family came from Aveiro. They believed in freedom and a government where people had a say. This was important because her family had faced difficulties during the Portuguese Liberal Wars. These wars (from 1828 to 1834) were a fight over who should rule Portugal.
Rita was the youngest of five children. Her father, Anselmo Evaristo de Morais Sarmento, was a journalist and an artist. Her mother was Rita de Cássia de Oliveira. Rita's father edited newspapers that supported liberal ideas. Their home was a popular spot for his friends and colleagues. These were important writers and thinkers of the time. Some of them included Oliveira Martins, Ramalho Ortigão, and Camilo Castelo Branco.
A Family That Valued Learning
Rita's family strongly believed that education was very important. They also thought it was good to help the public. Rita went to private schools in Porto with her brothers and sisters. When she was 15, Rita decided to study Civil Engineering and Public Works. She enrolled at the Polytechnic Academy in Porto.
Her sisters also chose careers in science. Laurinda, Aurélia, and Guilhermina became some of the first women doctors in Portugal. The two oldest sisters even opened a medical clinic for women and children. This happened in the early 1890s.
Becoming an Engineer
Rita de Morais Sarmento finished her degree in Civil Engineering and Public Works in 1894. She did very well in her studies. She often got the highest scores in her classes. She also received special honors in some subjects.
Two years later, on July 30, 1896, she applied for a "Carta de Capacidade." This was like getting a special license to work as a professional engineer. This was a huge achievement for a woman at that time! Many Portuguese newspapers wrote about her success. In the years that followed, other women in Europe also earned engineering degrees. These included Agnes Klingberg and Betzy Meyer from Denmark in 1897. Later, Alice Perry from Ireland (1906) and Elisa Leonida Zamfirescu from Romania (1912) also became engineers.
Life After University
Rita de Morais Sarmento did not work much as a professional civil engineer. This was partly because she had delicate health. Also, it was hard for women to find engineering jobs in Portugal back then. Society was very traditional and not used to women in such roles.
She moved to the city of Lisbon after she got married in late 1898. She married António dos Santos Lucas. He was a professor and later became the director of the Lisbon Faculty of Sciences. For a short time in 1914, he was even the Minister of Finance. Rita and António had children together. Her father and her sister Guilhermina were witnesses at her wedding. Guilhermina de Moraes Sarmento wrote her job as "doctor" on the marriage papers.
Rita de Morais Sarmento passed away when she was 59 years old in 1931. She was buried in the Prazeres Cemetery in Lisbon.
See also
In Spanish: Rita de Morais Sarmento para niños
