Abstract

DURAN ZULETA, Marlene. ESILDA VILLA LAGUNA MICHEL. FIRST WOMAN LAWYER OF ORURO AND BOLIVIA. Rev. Fuent. Cong. [online]. 2020, vol.14, n.65, pp. 81-86. ISSN 1997-4485.

Biography of Esilda Villa Laguna Michel (1909-1947), the first woman lawyer in Oruro (Bolivia), who faced the patriarchal culture of her time, which described that the legal profession was intended only for men. The Bolivian judicial system vetoed her from working as a "Procuradora de Causas" in 1928. The Prosecutor flatly denied granting her the right, because the impetrant was not considered a citizen, as she had not performed military service. Determined to correct this fact, she went to the barracks to register as a conscript. The Commander, due to the unexpected request, stated that due to her condition as a woman she was disabled, she demanded that the book or certificate of disability be franked. The international press pointed to the fact as discrimination. In 1938 the Court of Justice after 10 years, entitled her as Jurist. Her noble apostolate as a teacher and defender of women's rights is also remembered.

Keywords : Esilda Villa Laguna Michel; Biography; Firstwoman Lawyer in Oruro; Citizenship; Gender discrimination; Education.