The ideas of Policarpo Bonilla on women's education 1894-1895

Abstract

This research article analyzes the role of women in the liberal ideal of Policarpo Bonilla (1858-1926) during the first years of his presidency (1894-1899). It examines the relationship between the liberal ideal and women, focusing on education and the liberal view of their role in domesticity, which was limited and restrictive. The liberal elite promoted a model of female domination based on education, relegating women to a subordinate role centered on procreation and household care, with no access to political and economic participation. This perspective reflects the contradiction between the theoretical liberal discourse and the reality of a patriarchal society. The research uses primary sources such as “La Gaceta” (1894-1895), “El 5 de Julio” (1895), and Bonilla's speeches, as well as
works by authors such as Villars, Inestroza, and Cosse, applying a qualitative content analysis methodology.