Women in Medical School:

Achievements, Challenges, and Inspiration

Abstract

In Uruguay, the 1830 Constitution did not recognize women's citizenship and placed them in a position of complete subjugation. During the turn of the 19th century, especially between 1870 and 1910, in a rapidly transforming society, a debate arose regarding women's vision, social role, and work. It was very difficult for a woman to enter university, particularly to study medicine, overcoming deeply ingrained beliefs in the culture and society and the prevailing prejudices in scientific circles, at a time when men occupied all positions of power. A slow process led to the acceptance that medicine was not an exclusively male profession. A vocation for service, combined with courage, perseverance, and talent, allowed the pioneers to face the difficulties of their time. The evolution of the proportion of women in medicine shows a global trend in the last decades of the 20th century and into the 21st century, in which female physicians represent more than 50% of all doctors. We highlight Uruguayan women doctors who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of the Republic (FMED): 1. The pioneers (women who were the first to obtain a degree, a specialty, leadership positions in medicine, or Grade 5 at FMED). 2. The leading figures (María Luisa Saldún, Obdulia Ébole, María Antonieta Rebollo, María Franca, María Mirta Rodríguez, and Elia Nunes), whose academic and professional trajectories, contributions, and decades-long commitment to FMED honor the institution from which they graduated.