Morgan Clelland
HIST 449 – Women and Fascism
Fascist Comparison Paper
, Across fascist movements and movements with fascist traits, women became involved to
different degrees. Some movements emphasized the traditional limitation of female involvement.
Other movements broke with custom by including women as active supporters. Two fascist
groups that encouraged women to become involved were the Sección Femenina in Spain and the
Brazilian Integralist Action. Both included women for their value in mobilizing a broad base of
support. However, the women of each group also had their own motivations. Similar motivations
included a desire to bring a better life to the poor and protect society from communism. Unique
motivations among Sección Femenina women included the belief that their lives became more
meaningful and following a respected leader. In addition, a unique appeal for some Integralist
women was the desire to be in a racially inclusive setting. In the end, the Sección Femenina and
Integralist groups should be regarded as similar for both emphasizing a strong society, but also as
different for the women of each group having unique desires regarding personal benefits.
The betterment of the poor was a main reason for membership in the Sección Femenina.
Women of this group believed that the needs of the poor could only be solved through improved
efforts. Members claimed that the preceding leftist Republican government had disastrously
failed the needy (Bacchetta 92). It appeared that help for the needy would have to come from
organizations on the right. However, women in the Sección Femenina believed that their
organization was the only one that could effectively serve the poor. Other groups on the right
strove to be generous in their treatment of the poor, but did not enjoy widespread support
because of the perception that their efforts were inadequate and lacked a call for social
improvement (Bacchetta 91). For women in the Sección Femenina, the organization was an
opportunity to finally bring the same privileges to every person from birth. Rather than defend
privilege as a limited prospect, members sought to bring every child to a higher social level
HIST 449 – Women and Fascism
Fascist Comparison Paper
, Across fascist movements and movements with fascist traits, women became involved to
different degrees. Some movements emphasized the traditional limitation of female involvement.
Other movements broke with custom by including women as active supporters. Two fascist
groups that encouraged women to become involved were the Sección Femenina in Spain and the
Brazilian Integralist Action. Both included women for their value in mobilizing a broad base of
support. However, the women of each group also had their own motivations. Similar motivations
included a desire to bring a better life to the poor and protect society from communism. Unique
motivations among Sección Femenina women included the belief that their lives became more
meaningful and following a respected leader. In addition, a unique appeal for some Integralist
women was the desire to be in a racially inclusive setting. In the end, the Sección Femenina and
Integralist groups should be regarded as similar for both emphasizing a strong society, but also as
different for the women of each group having unique desires regarding personal benefits.
The betterment of the poor was a main reason for membership in the Sección Femenina.
Women of this group believed that the needs of the poor could only be solved through improved
efforts. Members claimed that the preceding leftist Republican government had disastrously
failed the needy (Bacchetta 92). It appeared that help for the needy would have to come from
organizations on the right. However, women in the Sección Femenina believed that their
organization was the only one that could effectively serve the poor. Other groups on the right
strove to be generous in their treatment of the poor, but did not enjoy widespread support
because of the perception that their efforts were inadequate and lacked a call for social
improvement (Bacchetta 91). For women in the Sección Femenina, the organization was an
opportunity to finally bring the same privileges to every person from birth. Rather than defend
privilege as a limited prospect, members sought to bring every child to a higher social level
