Resumen de Congress and women: reformism and liberalism in Argentina at the turn of the century

Ana Leonor Romero

• This article examines legislative proposals concerning the legal status of women during the second government of Julio A. Roca (1898–1904), within the framework of congressional debates in a situation that was considered to be critical. It aims to examine three legislative initiatives, namely, a proposal for divorce, petitions for pensions for widows and orphans, and a bill advocating property rights for married women, as part of congressional deliberations on the role of the state as an instrument for understanding and organizing society. The purpose is to explore how women were regarded as subjects of rights and to analyze the debate on the relationship between the state and society. First, it reviews scholarship focused on gender to expand the perspective of political history. It then analyzes legislative initiatives in the context of turn-of-the-century reformist liberalism, presenting the ‘women's question’ as an integral part of reformist efforts, which helps to understanding the crisis of the liberal consensus in Argentina.