A Game of Resistance: The New Woman at the End Of 19th-Century Society

Behaviours that deviate from social norms are often labeled as scandalous, especially if their protagonists are women. In the 19th century, the hegemonic social model was that of separate spheres (public/private). However, some women manifested behaviours that defied tradition. Whether in their private or domestic life, in their activity in the cultural world, at university, in the workplace, and even in politics, they caused scandal and rejection. These behaviors were sometimes condemned by public morality and even by legislative and judicial authorities. This paper analyzes -through literary, newspaper, , legislative, and judicial sources- how nineteenth-century Spanish society received these changes, whether it accepted or opposed them, and how they influenced the model of the new woman and the debate on the woman question.