Abstract:
In the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, few women had access to higher education. In this article, we investigate the intellectual trajectory of Eudésia Vieira: the first female doctor from Paraíba formed in 1934. The study used biographical sources and newspaper articles. Therefore, it is possible to indicate three common elements in the trajectories of the first brazilian doctors: 1) the difficulties faced by them in the political and cultural context of the period, 2) the teaching profession as the first activity carried out in the public space and 3) medicine as profession to care for other women and children. In addition, Eudésia Vieira was part of the group of Catholic intellectuals who rose in the press to propagate Christian reformist ideals.
Keywords:
education; female condition; social reform