The sisters Iracema and Noemy Silveira are the guiding thread of this presentation. Born in the interior of the state of São Paulo, they will together build a professional trajectory in which family ties, educational networks, care relationships and international travel are intertwined, offering paths for understanding the strategies mobilized by women to remain in the teaching profession in public service and build careers in the first half of the twentieth century in Brazil. Both were associated with the transnational movement of new education, albeit in different ways, and exercised different forms of insertion in the teaching profession. Iracema restricted herself to primary education, acting as a school librarian; Noemy embraced an ambitious training project that involved travelling to the United States of America, studying at the Teachers College of Columbia University and taking up the chair of Educational Psychology at the University of São Paulo in 1934. If the final destinations were radically different, career entry was made simultaneously. Two years older than Noemy, Iracema waited for her younger sister to reach the ideal age for both of them to start training for teaching together. The episode reveals the relationships of solidarity established between the sisters that would last for almost two decades. At the age of 8, in 1908, Iracema had an accident that affected one of her eyes. Visual impairment made school attendance difficult, which was overcome with Noemy's help. From then on, the sisters study together over primary and teachers training education. They also start their teaching careers together, working in the same primary schools. The paths began to separate in 1928 when Iracema was able to leave her work in the classroom to take over as school librarian, and Noemy began her journey abroad with visits to the US public system of education. In the complex fabric that the sisters build their careers, the networks established with male educators and educational politicians are determinants of the positions they successively assume, as well as the changes in the schools in which they work, leaving the periphery of the city of São Paulo until they reach the neighborhoods noblest. The presentation deals with issues of gender, social class, religion, and physical disability. The sisters came from the lower middle class. Working provided the means of survival and accumulation of assets. Iracema’s disability didn’t prevent her from searching for a career. On the contrary, with the help of her sister, she found a place as a librarian in the primary school, which allowed her to remain active until her retirement. This scenario provokes us to reflect on how the teaching career offered a feasible and respectful labor option for female sustenance in society at the time. Thus, this study converges with the questions raised by sociologists about the intersection of gender and class in the labor market. Finally, the connections with catholic and lay educators were key for both to advance in their careers, which makes us inquire about the networks they built.

Since the early 20^th century, there has been an increasing acceptance of the role of science in childrearing and child education. One consequence was the emergence of a movement toward scientific motherhood, in which instinct and tradition is replaced with experts instruction on childrearing and child education. According to this ideology ,the good mother is one that seeks and follows expert advice, embracing the ideia of education for motherhood (Apple, 2006). Several studies have shown that although the ideology of scientific motherhood prevailed in the 20th century, changes in conceptions of childhood and women's’ role in society, along with scientific developments in medicine and psychology, refined and redefined the conception of good mother (Apple, 2006; Hulbert, 2004; Rose, 1999). Like other countries (Apple, 2006; Hays, 1996; Rose, 1999), Portugal witnessed profound transformations, during the second half of the 20th century in the lives of women and children. By the end of the century, women were more educated, pursued careers, and children had access to healthcare and education. To understand the impact of theses changes on discourses about motherhood we examined childrearing advice in two distinct periods: 1945-1958 and 1994-2007. One of the sources of childrearing advice are parenting magazines. They offer parents the possibility to benefit from the advice of experts in the field of child health or development, and are used by them to get the answers to common childrearing problems, from feeding to discipline (Cucchiara & Steinbugler, 2021; Nichols et al., 2009). In our study, we analyzed Os Nossos Filhos (1942-1958), the first parenting magazine published in Portugal, and Pais&Filhos (1994-2007), one of the most popular parenting magazines in the 1990s. Through critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 2003) we attempted to understand how discourses about motherhood have evolved in the second half of the 20th century in Portugal. Our results indicate that parenting magazines promoted scientific motherhood, that is, the idea that a good mother is one that seeks expert advice and follows it, engaging in a process of self-education. In doing so they promoted a particular, middle-class conception of good mother. We should also note that In the 1950s, due to high illiteracy rates and limited access to healthcare, this ideal of good mother acted as a mechanism of social exclusion, as only well-educated mothers could attain the ideal of scientific motherhood. For working class mothers, tradition and intuition prevailed in childrearing and child education. By the end of century, although the discourse of scientific motherhood prevailed, since the vast majority of women had access to childrearing advice, mothers’ insecurity emerged as the main threat to good motherhood. Therefore, education for motherhood entailed not only constructing educated mothers, as was the case in the 1950s, but also constructing secure mothers. This involves helping women to develop a sense of competence, that is, the feeling that they are capable of positively influencing their children’s development.

This study proposes a comparative analysis of the formation of poor girls in Catholic female institutions in the early decades of the twentieth century, highlighting the diversity and intersectionality in their educational trajectories. Focusing on the Casa da Divina Providência in São Paulo, Brazil, and the Asylum for Destitute Children D. Pedro V in Braga, Portugal, (established in 1903 and 1862 respectively and still operational today), the research explores how these educational institutions shaped education for a socially and economically disadvantaged female audience. The study, grounded in a gender perspective, acknowledges that social, cultural, and economic conditions uniquely impacted the educational experiences of girls in these institutions. The detailed analysis of primary sources, such as internal regulations, rules, and enrollment books, reveals not only the similarities in missions to provide moral, religious, and domestic education but also the nuances that arise when considering gender dimensions. Diversity and intersectionality, examined through factors of social class, gender, and possibly ethnicity, highlight the importance of understanding the complexities faced by these specific groups of girls. This approach allows for a more comprehensive analysis of disparities in educational experiences, providing valuable insights into how institutions shaped not only young women but also how these educational experiences influenced their future trajectories in society. After in-depth analysis, the conclusions highlight that the girls in question were subjected to education aligned with prevailing principles at the time. This instruction was predominantly aimed at domestic training, aiming to shape future women who would play the role of caregivers, responsible for raising children and guiding them to become exemplary citizens in society. Additionally, a notable intersection between educational training and Catholic religious instruction provided in these environments was observed. The education received by the girls reflected an intrinsic integration between the development of domestic skills and the internalization of religious values. This interweaving of educational and religious formation reveals the complexity and interconnection of influences that shaped the educational experience of these young women in the early twentieth century. Thus, this study not only contributes to a more holistic understanding of the educational history of these institutions and the lives of the poor girls educated in them but also highlights the undeniable importance of gender studies in enriching the broader narrative of education history.

Este estudo propõe uma análise comparativa da formação de meninas pobres em instituições católicas femininas nas primeiras décadas do século XX, destacando a diversidade e interseccionalidade em suas trajetórias educacionais. Focalizando a Casa da Divina Providência em São Paulo, Brasil, e o Asilo da Infância Desvalida D. Pedro V em Braga, Portugal, (criadas, respetivamente, em 1903 e 1862 e ainda funcionando atualmente) a pesquisa explora como essas instituições de Ensino moldaram a educação para um público feminino económica e socialmente desfavorecido. O estudo, assentando numa perspectiva de gênero, reconhece que as condições sociais, culturais e económicas impactaram de maneira única as experiências educacionais das meninas nessas instituições. A análise detalhada de fontes primárias, como regimentos internos, regulamentos e livros de matrículas, revela não apenas as semelhanças nas missões de proporcionar educação moral, religiosa e doméstica, mas também as nuances que surgem quando se consideram as dimensões de gênero. A diversidade e interseccionalidade, examinadas através dos fatores de classe social, gênero e possivelmente etnia, destacam a importância de compreender as complexidades enfrentadas por esses grupos específicos de meninas. Essa abordagem permite uma análise mais abrangente das disparidades nas experiências educacionais, proporcionando insights valiosos sobre como as instituições moldaram não apenas as jovens, mas também como essas experiências educacionais influenciaram as suas trajetórias futuras na sociedade. Após uma análise aprofundada, as conclusões destacam que as meninas em questão foram submetidas a uma educação alinhada aos princípios prevalecentes na época. Essa instrução estava direcionada predominantemente para a formação doméstica, visando moldar futuras mulheres que desempenhariam o papel de cuidadoras, responsáveis por criar os filhos e guiá-los para se tornarem cidadãos exemplares na sociedade. Além disso, observou-se uma interseção notável entre a formação educacional e a instrução religiosa católica proporcionada nesses ambientes. A educação recebida pelas meninas refletia uma integração intrínseca entre o desenvolvimento de habilidades domésticas e a internalização de valores religiosos. Essa imbricação entre formação educacional e religiosa revela a complexidade e a interconexão das influências que moldaram a experiência educacional dessas jovens no início do século XX. Assim, este estudo não apenas contribui para uma compreensão mais holística da história educacional dessas instituições e das vidas das meninas pobres que nelas foram educadas, mas também destaca a importância inegável dos estudos de gênero para enriquecer a narrativa mais ampla da história da educação.

The school constitutes a space for social reproduction and transmission of values, principles, and beliefs that shape social thought, emphasizing the importance of how, throughout the historical process, it conveys stereotypical representations of what is considered masculine and feminine. The study focuses on the Estado Novo period, during which socially desirable models of man and woman are based on a marked binary view of the concept of person, where being a woman and being a man are objectified through characteristics that oppose and exclude each other, supported by a hierarchical reading of society in general and the family in particular, where the axis of authority permeates. The study begins with the analysis of the curriculum and the specific dimension of female education that is combined with another focused on the analysis of a periodical, Rumo, under the responsibility of male and female students from a primary teacher training institution, the Escola do Magistério Primário de Coimbra, who ensured its direction, writing, and administration. The newspaper had two periods of existence, first, between 1949 and 1957 and from 1959 to 1969. An exhaustive study was conducted, taking news and different articles that compose the newspaper as the unit of analysis, subjected to content analysis. The approach focused on the ideological and symbolic issues of multiple discourses, being attentive to the construction of subjectivities and how social actors reproduce the official discourse, aiming to detect themes and resources mobilized in argument construction. The analysis resulted in a construction of the ideology and representations of the Estado Novo, organized into five dimensions, with "Woman" being highlighted here. In the discourse of male and female student-teachers, emerges a domestic woman - spouse, mother, homemaker - and/or in the labor market - professional life and being a teacher - characterized by her education - schooling and culture - and by the definition and typification of an expected female social behavior, expressed in subcategories such as marriage, behaviors in society, relationships with the male gender, femininity and masculinity, social action, and rights and duties as a woman. To complement a certain "official discourse" evident in Rumo and the possibility of listening to social actors, space was opened for the use of interviews and the mobilization of the memories of the protagonists, employing a convenience sample and resorting to content analysis for its treatment. Relying on the voices of former teachers and students allowed for a break from an apparent idea of hegemonic character, underscoring that, occasionally, a discourse emerged, particularly from former female student-teachers, engaging with curriculum development and challenging the narratives of Rumo, especially regarding female-specific education and the role of women. It is noteworthy that these positions can only be understood considering the moment and the intensity of experiences when events take place in conjunction with the life trajectory of the interviewees and the time of recollection.

A escola constitui um espaço de reprodução social e de transmissão de valores, princípios e crenças que enformam o pensamento social conferindo importância à forma como vem, ao longo do processo histórico, veiculando representações estereotipadas do que é considerado como masculino e como feminino. O estudo foca-se no período do Estado Novo, em que os modelos socialmente desejáveis de homem e de mulher assentam numa vincada visão binária do conceito de pessoa, em que o ser mulher e o ser homem se objetivam por via de características que se opõem e se excluem, respaldada numa leitura hierárquica da sociedade, em geral, e da família, em particular, por onde perpassa o eixo da autoridade. O estudo parte da análise curricular e da dimensão específica de formação feminina que se compagina com aqueloutra centrada na análise de um periódico, Rumo, da responsabilidade dos alunos e das alunas de uma instituição de ensino normal primário, a Escola do Magistério Primário de Coimbra, que asseguravam a sua direção, redação e administração. O jornal conheceu dois períodos de existência, primeiro, entre 1949 e 1957 e de 1959 a 1969. Desenvolveu-se um estudo exaustivo, tomando como unidade de análise a notícia e os diferentes artigos que compõem o jornal, sujeitos a análise de conteúdo. A abordagem orientou-se para a problemática ideológica e simbólica dos múltiplos discursos, estando atenta à construção de subjetividades e à forma como os atores sociais reproduzem o discurso oficial, pretendendo detetar temas e recursos mobilizados na construção da argumentação. Da análise resultou uma construção da ideologia e das representações do Estado Novo, organizada em cinco dimensões das quais aqui se destaca a “Mulher”. Nos discursos dos alunos-mestres e das alunas-mestras emerge uma mulher doméstica – cônjuge, mãe, fada do lar –, e/ou no mercado de trabalho – vida profissional e ser professora –, caracterizada pela sua formação – educação e cultura, escolarização – e pela definição e tipificação de um comportamento social feminino expectável, expressa em subcategorias como o matrimónio, os comportamentos em sociedade, as relações com o género masculino, a feminilidade e a masculinidade, a ação social e os direitos e deveres enquanto mulher. No sentido de complementar um certo “discurso oficial” patente no Rumo e a possibilidade de escutar os atores sociais abriu espaço para o recurso à entrevista e à mobilização da memória dos/as protagonistas, mobilizando uma amostra de conveniência e recorrendo-se à análise de conteúdo para a o seu tratamento. O recurso às vozes de antigos/as docentes e discentes, permitiu romper com uma aparente ideia do caráter hegemónico, cumprindo-se evidenciar que, pontualmente, irrompeu um discurso, nomeadamente de antigas alunas-mestras, que dialogou com o desenvolvimento curricular e se confrontou com as narrativas do Rumo, muito especialmente sobre a formação, especificamente, feminina e o papel da mulher. De destacar que estes posicionamentos só se podem compreender à luz do momento e da intensidade das vivências quando os eventos têm lugar articulados com a trajetória de vida das entrevistadas e com o tempo da rememoração.