Influence of the ideal of women in family and physical education during Franco's regime

Abstract

This article outlines the situation that women lived in during the Franco regime. Social rules imposed by the authorities and leadership institutions forced women to accept norms and rules as their own, unique and real. The relations between genders were thus encoded and endorsed by a propagandistic and formative process. The «nacional-sindicalista» (national and pro-workers) ideology, with the leaders of «El Movimiento» (The movement) at the head, transmitted a series of religious dogma and rules based on the military force, and established the framework which women had to fit within. The women’s priorities had to be to create a family, bring more children into the world, and educate them according to those Francoist ideologies. Physical activity and sport, although it was to be a liberating element, also contributed to establish the ideal of women, since they served to establish a rigid and authoritarian approach to the concept of the female body.

Keywords

• ideal de mujer
• franquismo
• familia
• actividad física y deportiva
• sección femenina