Bertha Lutz

Brazilian zoologist and feminist leader who reshaped both scientific research and women's rights in Latin America

Bertha Lutz (1894-1976) forged dual legacies as a herpetology pioneer and suffragist leader. Graduating from Sorbonne as Brazil's second female university graduate, her discoveries of new frog species in the Amazon rainforest revolutionized tropical biology.

Simultaneously, Lutz co-founded the Brazilian Federation for Women's Progress in 1922, drafting legislation that secured women's voting rights by 1932. She later represented Brazil at the 1945 UN Conference, insisting on including 'women's equality' in the UN Charter's preamble.

Her interdisciplinary approach merged science and activism - establishing research stations to study ecological balance while arguing that biodiversity preservation required empowering indigenous women. The 2019 documentary Bertha Lutz: The Woman Who Changed Brazil explores how her 1945 book Women in Science inspired generations of Latin American researchers.