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1955 Matrimonial Consent Act

Date
1955 - 1995
Archive
Central Archive of the Civil Registry of Barcelona
Document type
Textual
Reference code
CAT AJTBCNH RC JMUN04BCN AC 134/1955
Link to the archive
Description

This document collects the consent of a husband so that his 29-year-old wife can travel abroad, including overseas. The husband, identified as a mechanic and accidental resident of Barcelona, ​​declares before a judge and with witnesses that he authorizes this travel. This act is a clear example of Franco’s legislation that legally subordinated married women to their husbands, requiring authorization for basic actions such as travel. The fact that the woman needed this permission, despite being an adult, highlights the denial of her autonomy and the institutionalization of patriarchy. This document is part of the theme of the “beats of Catalan society” and politics and governance, and is an essential source for understanding power structures and gender inequality during Franco’s regime. Its conservation makes visible the struggles for equality and the dignity of women in the contemporary history of Catalonia.