The Portrayal of the Role of Women in the Republican Political Propaganda during the Spanish Civil War

Abstract

The liberation of women is a popular topic among many leftist and liberal groups, advocating for a variety of
feminist idealism ranging from suffrage to participation in workforce. During the civil war, the political
propaganda of the Republican side used the image of women, showing their participation in the war efforts
many times. This paper analyzes the posters aimed at women or using women's images and the publicity of antifascist women's associations during the Spanish Civil War. When demonstrating female’s participation in
militia or work in factories or rural areas, people use a masculine image; the portrayal of women became soft
and aligned with traditional gender roles when it came to nursing and logistics. Although the war advanced
gender equality, women were still considered as playing a secondary and subservient role in traditional family
and social structure.