Maria Lacerda de Moura

Pioneering Brazilian feminist who founded the first women's university and fought for voting rights through legal reforms.

Maria Lacerda de Moura (1867–1944) was Brazil's foremost advocate for women's rights during the First Republic era. As a lawyer and educator, she challenged patriarchal norms by establishing the Escola Normal de Meninas in 1904—the first institution granting women university-level education. Her 1912 bill proposing women's suffrage became the foundation for Brazil's 1932 voting rights law, though it was only fully implemented in 1946.

Her legal battles included defending women's property rights in landmark cases like State v. Rodrigues (1915), which overturned archaic inheritance laws. Moura's 1928 manifesto Women's Charter outlined 23 demands including equal pay and workplace protections, influencing later labor laws. She also co-founded the Brazilian Feminist League, which pressured the government to create the first women's prison reform committee.

Despite her achievements, Moura faced constant opposition from conservative elites. Her 1944 death was marked by state honors, yet her contributions were largely erased from official histories until the 1990s. Modern scholars now consider her a bridge between 19th-century abolitionism and 20th-century social movements. Her writings are featured in the Brazilian Studies Digital Archive, and her portrait now hangs in the Supreme Federal Court building.