Francisca de Assis Martins Wood or Francisca Wood (1802–1900) was a Portuguese writer and editor. Her four-page ''A Voz Feminina'' caused international comment with its advocacy of increased women's rights and ''O Progresso'' was said to be the first feminist newspaper in Europe.

Life

Wood was born in Lisbon in 1802 and she spent over twenty years in Britain. She married and returned to Portugal where she and her husband created two titles. Wood is remembered for editing the weekly periodical, ''A Voz Feminina'', for two years. The journal title changed to ''O Progresso''. The four page periodical called for women's suffrage in Portugal caused consternation in conservative England as it reacted to the petition raised by

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and presented by

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to the British Parliament in 1866. The periodical was presented as a "‘a hermaphrodite paper" creating comment in the Atheneum, the Bern Journal and the Victoria Magazine. A much later source cites ''O Progresso'' as the first feminist newspaper in Europe. Her first publication carried the strap line, ("the free woman beside the free man") whilst the second wanted "Justice at any cost". Wood was one of the first women in Portugal who was concerned with women's subordinate status and in particular about improving the educational opportunities for women in Portugal together with

Carolina Michaëlis de Vasconcelos Carolina Michaëlis de Vasconcelos, born Karoline Michaelis (15 March 1851 – 18 November 1925) was a German-Portuguese romanist. Early life, education and private life Michaelis was born in Berlin as the last of five children of Gustav Michae ...

, Maria Carvalho, Alice Pestana,

Alice Moderno Alice Moderno (11 August 1867 – 20 February 1946) was a Portuguese writer, feminist and animal welfare activist. An active campaigner for women's rights, she also founded the first association dedicated to animal welfare in the Azores. Early bio ...

, Angelina Vidal,

Antónia Pusich Antónia Gertrudes Pusich (1 October 1805 – 6 October 1883) was a Portuguese poet, dramaturgist, journalist, pianist and composer. Biography She was born on the Island of São Nicolau, which used to be part of Portuguese Cape Verde. Daughter ...

and Guiomar Torrezão. She realised that many women in Portugal were not interested in equality but she blamed their lack of ambition on the unavailability of education to women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Francisca de Assis Martins 1802 births 1900 deaths Portuguese editors 19th-century Portuguese women writers 19th-century Portuguese writers 19th-century journalists Portuguese women journalists People from Lisbon Portuguese feminists