She went on to study medicine at the Universidad del Azuay (now known as University of Cuenca), and the Central University, becoming the first female doctor in Ecuadorian history.īy signing the register of voters in 1924, Procel set the stage for yet another “first.” When the State Council questioned her right to vote, she pointed out that Ecuador’s Constitution makes no mention of gender as a requirement for voting-only citizenship, age, and literacy. Despite being ostracized by her peers, Procel persevered, graduating with honors in 1913.
Her older brother Antonio requested that his sister be allowed to attend high school with him, and the Director of Bernardo Valdivieso School granted their wish. The youngest of six children raised by a widowed seamstress, Procel aspired to continue her education past sixth grade. Inspiring her native Ecuador to become the first Latin American state to grant suffrage to all women, this trailblazing pioneer for women’s rights smashed through glass ceilings throughout her entire lifetime, also becoming the first female Ecuadorian doctor on this day in 1921. Today’s Doodle celebrates Ecuadorian physician, poet, and activist Matilde Hidalgo de Procel, who was born on September 29th, 1889 in the city of Loja and became the first woman to vote in Latin America in 1924.
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