8M International Women’s Day in Our First 100 Years

International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to share and review the most important advancements in international and local rules and laws, which reflect the effort of those committed to promote a more equal society.

Let us remember together: why do we honor IWD on March 8?

The United Nations set this date in 1977. However, women in the United States had already started a movement against gender inequality in 1848. Women started to rebel against the restrictions to their freedom of speech, the bad work conditions, and the unequal pay, among others. The fire that broke at a textile factory in 1911 in New York, where over 120 women died, was a landmark after which Women's Day started being honored every March 8. This tragic event led to changes in the work conditions of women.

The inclusion of women in Argentina’s workforce also required legal changes and the recognition of rights that, up to that moment, had not been acknowledged. Law No. 11,317, passed in 1924, regulated work hours of women and children. This law established a workday of no more than 8 hours, forbade dismissing pregnant women, incorporated the breastfeeding maternity leave, and the companies’ obligation to have daycare centers. In 1926, Law No. 11,357 on Women's Civil Rights recognized the capacity of all adult women –whether single, divorced, or widow– to exercise their civil rights and functions on equal terms as men. However, the provisions of the Civil Code on the relative incapacity of married women were still in force, which meant that they were still under their husbands’ custody. Only in 1968, following the Decree-Law No. 17.711, women were recognized full capacity, regardless of their marital status.

Regarding our professional practice, in 1909 María Angélica Barreda was the first Argentinian woman to graduate as a lawyer from the National University of La Plata, while in 1910, Cecilia Tapias was the first female lawyer to graduate from the University of Buenos Aires. Margarita Agúas had a brilliant career after being appointed as the first professor at the Law School of the University of Buenos Aires in 1933. Two decades later, in 1958, she was appointed the first female justice of the F Division of the Court of Appeals in Civil Matters in the Federal Capital. In 1970, she was appointed the first female justice of the Argentine Supreme Court of Justice. Argúas was also the first woman to be appointed member of the National Academy of Law, and to become president of the International Law Association for the term 1968-1970.

Law No. 13,010 of 1947 promoted women's participation in public and political circles. This law determined that political rights of men and women were equal. As a result, women voted for the first time in the 1951 elections. In that same year, Alcira de la Peña became the first Argentinian woman to be an official candidate for a position in the national Executive Branch. Law No. 24,012 of 1991, known as the “Quotas Law” or “Female Quota” Law,  was the first one in the world to establish a minimum of 30% female representation in parties’ lists for positions at the National Congress.

In the international arena, states committed to protect women through the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) -which Argentina signed in 1980- and through the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women in 1993, the first international instrument to explicitly address and define different ways of violence against women. Within the inter-American system, the Convention of Belem do Para (1994) was established to prevent, punish, and eradicate violence against women. Argentina ratified this convention two years later, through Law No. 24,632. In 2010, The General Assembly of the United Nations created UN Women, to look after gender equality and women empowerment.

In the last years, Argentina showed significant legal advancements on the matter. For example, the Law on Comprehensive Protection for Women to Prevent, Punish, and Eradicate Violence against Women was passed in 2009. In 2019, the Executive Branch published the “Ley Micaela” (Micaela Law) on compulsory training in gender issues for all those working at the three branches of the government. That same year the Law of Ministries was modified to include the National Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity.  Law No. 27,580, passed in 2020, approved the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention No. 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work.

The evolution of these rules and laws is essential to seek equal rights, but it must certainly go hand-in-hand with real actions. Even if there is still way to go, in the last years there have been many advancements in case-law, which show that both culture and the enforcement of laws have evolved in Argentina.

During these 100 years, Marval stood out for attracting diverse talent based on merits, and for giving equal opportunities for the professional development of women's careers. Marval was a pioneer in appointing female partners, back when this was exceptional among leading corporate law firms. Currently, many of our female partners hold leadership positions in the Executive Board, the Management Committee, and other committees and task forces.

The participation of female partners in the administration and culture of the Firm reinforced the analysis of the development of women's careers, work-life balance, and the challenges of retaining female talent. Over time, the membership of the firm became mainly female, which called for implementing new actions securing the career advancement of female lawyers by providing them with the necessary tools to develop their potential.

Thus, several actions were directed specifically to support and promote women's careers in various stages of their professional lives, favoring a culture of equality. These actions included mentoring and coaching, as well as leadership workshops. The Firm also carried out a program to collaborate with the soft landing of women after and near the end of their maternity leave to help them finding a balance between personal and professional life. These actions included extended paternity leave and networking opportunities.

The Diversity Committee, created in 2016, first focused on the development of women's careers, to later cover other areas of diversity, such as LGBTT+; disability; and social, cultural, and age matters.

The committee works in coordination with the Career Committee, to design and apply initiatives to make the Firm the best place to work where members can advance their careers, within a framework of work-life balance.

During these 100 years, we have witnessed and confirmed that embracing diverse perspectives contributes to the success of our members and proves very valuable to our clients. We keep reaffirming our commitment to support women’s professional careers in the centuries to come.