Concepcion Arenal

 

Concepcion Arenal was an interesting woman to learn about. She is a great example of feminism in Spain. To go to law school, she had to dress as a man and be separated from the man in her classes so the men wouldn't feel inferior for having a woman in their classes. Later in life, she kept on dressing like a man so she could be taken more seriously in society. She was also the first woman to be an inspector in prisons. She advocated for women to have access to an education in prison. Fun fact, she was actually kicked out of one prison because she was asking a prisoner about their experience and letting the prisoner actually think about how they were being treated in the prison. She wanted a better future for women and for them to have more rights in society.

I think what makes Concepcion Arenal's contribution to society is that she brought new ideas on what makes someone a bad person and fought for social justice for women. She thought that everyone, mainly women prisoners, deserve to be treated normally and that a person isn’t born bad but instead can be formed into a bad person. I think what really made her stick out in society for women is that people only took her seriously when she was dressed as a man. She won an award one time under her son's name but when people found out she was the one that wrote the poem, they took it away from her. That shows that society back then overlooked women and blamed them for their own faults. She helped pave the way in society for women to have a higher education and for them not to hide their identity in society to be taken seriously. 

I think Concepcion Arenal was commemorated well for her achievement in society. She has a plaque near the main auditorium of the university she attended. She attended the Complutense University for law school which is one of the most imposing universities in Spain. She also has a statue of herself near the edge of the university. I think it is great that she has a statue dedicated to her but the location of it could have been placed better. It is a bit far from the university and the center of the city. That makes the statue a bit overlooked by people and having it in the center of the city can bring attention to her and her amazing accomplishments to society. She is still remembered in Spain and has recognition from people which she deserves.