Votes for Women ButtonNational Women’s History Museum
In 1932, Brazil became just the fourth country to give women the right to vote. As in most countries around the world, universal suffrage came about as the result of a feminist campaign run and organized by women.
San Francisco Conference (Sub-Committee Mtgs.) (1945) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection
One of the major figures of Brazilian suffrage was Bertha Lutz. Born in Sao Paulo in 1894, she studied natural sciences, biology, and zoology at the Sorbonne in Paris. Here she was inspired by feminist ideas and women's suffrage, taking them back on her return to Brazil in 1918.
San Francisco Conference (1945) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection
Lutz joined the Brazilian Women's Legion before co-founding The League for Intellectual Emancipation of Women in 1920. In 1922, Lutz established the Brazilian Federation for the Advancement of Women (FBPF). This nationwide organization gave women from across Brazil a platform.
The FBPF began campaigning for women’s rights throughout all American states. In 1925, Lutz was elected president of the Inter-American Union of Women and attended numerous conferences and talks on the advancement of women over the next few years.
San Francisco Conference (Sub-Committee Mtgs.) (1945) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection
As well as fighting for women’s right to vote, Lutz and the FBPF fought for wider gender equality. Lutz wanted women to have equal rights when it came to employment, education, and promotion. She also wanted to improve the socio-economic position of women in Brazil.
In 1932, women in Brazil were finally given the right to vote. However, it wasn’t until 1945, when compulsory voting was introduced for both sexes, that their political rights became truly equal to men’s.
San Francisco Conference (Sub-Committee Mtgs.) (1945) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection
Bertha Lutz died in 1976 at the age of 82. She’d continued campaigning for women’s equality right up to her death. Brazil’s 1988 Citizen’s Constitution included many of Lutz’s ideas and secured the rights of women across the country.
85199 (1970-09) by John OlsonLIFE Photo Collection
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