Clara Gonzalez

Clara Gonzalez (1900 – February 11, 1990) was the first Panamanian woman to earn her Bachelor of Law Degree in 1922. She was born in Remedios, Chiriqui Province, Republic of Panama. At that time, it was assumed that a patriarchal order was a natural order that had existed and Panamanian law did not have a constitutional law to allow women to work in the judicial arena or in any field where only men worked. Clara Gonzalez fought for her and every woman’s rights and on 1924, the Panamanian Legislative Assembly approved Law 55 granting women the right to work in the judicial field. Her graduation thesis named Women and Panamanian Legal Rights (La mujer ante el derecho panameño) is one of the first documents where women’s legal rights are addressed.

The need to organize a feminist movement that favored women’s participation in politics led Clara Gonzalez and other women leaders like Sara Sotillo, Elida Campodonico de Crespo, and Rosa Navas to create the National Feminist Party in 1924. The assumption that women had no inherence in politics was solved when she founded the School of Feminine Culture (Escuela de Cultura Femenina) where Clara and other feminists would give classes in politics, history, civics and any other subjects that could represent an enhancement of knowledge for women in the professional and social fields.

After earning her Masters Degree in 1929 in the United States, Clara devoted herself to the fight for women’s rights in several areas such as: family, motherhood, the rights of children, and the women’s right to participate in politics but most of all, on women’s suffrage rights. She breaks schemes and establishes new references, new paradigms, and becomes a pioneer in several areas.

She became, in 1946, the first women running for the position of vice president of Panama in the Renewal Party (Partido Renovador) ticket. The Juvenile Court was created in February 1951, thus allowing her to become the first Panamanian woman to be named Juvenile Court judge.

Her solidarity and empathy towards the needy places her ahead of her peers. A teacher and a leader, she follows what is known today as positive reinforcement: praising others for their good deeds. She writes, Family and School Towards Juvenile Delinquency (La familia y la escuela en relacion con la delicuencia juvenil). She says, “Every child or adult feels comforted when his/her efforts are rewarded or when they are appreciated. What discourages and hurts is to be ignored”.

Clara Gonzalez dies in Panama City after a lengthy and successful career and will always be remembered as a true Panamanian.

Persondata
Name	Gonzalez, Clara
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Date of birth	1900
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Date of death	February 11, 1990
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