History of the working women of Madrid through Cuarto Propio

Cuarto Propio en Wikipedia, an open group of editors with a feminist focus, organised a special event that allowed participants to explore the history of working women in Madrid. This guided walk, titled ‘A walk through places that are landmarks in the history of the cigar makers, washerwomen and greengrocers of Madrid’, took place on 12 January. The tour began in the emblematic neighbourhood of Lavapiés and ended at the historic Hermitage of San Isidro.  

The main objective of this activity was to acquire knowledge and historical references to improve and/or create articles in Wikipedia projects and items in Wikidata. In addition, photographs were captured that may be of interest to illustrate Wikipedia articles, which will be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.   

A tour in honour of women pioneers 

This guided tour focuses on three groups of 19th century women who were fundamental in the formation of the first workers’ and feminist movements in the city: the cigar makers, the washerwomen and the greengrocers. Through their stories, participants were able to discover how these women laid the foundations for the achievement of labour and gender rights. 

Cigar makers: Known for their independence and solidarity, the cigar makers were pioneers in the struggle for equality and labour rights. During the tour, they revealed how they established a system of solidarity among their colleagues, which consisted of each worker setting aside a small quantity of cigarettes every day for which they received remuneration at the rate of one rolled unit, to be used to cover possible sick leave, childbirth, maternity or old age, which any of them might incur. A forerunner of today’s Social Security system. 

Washerwomen: Washerwomen lived in extremely precarious conditions, to the point that their income was not sufficient to survive, which led them to resort to other sources of support, such as prostitution or begging. These difficulties prevented them from organizing to demand better working and living conditions.

Greengrocers: These women challenged traditional gender roles with their entrepreneurial spirit and strong presence in the markets, fighting for their own space in the urban economy. 

The importance of making these women workers visible 

Cigar makers, washerwomen and greengrocers have been made invisible in history books, despite being political agents and the seed of the workers’ movement. This walk seeks to rescue and make their contributions visible, in line with one of Cuarto Propio’s central objectives in Wikipedia: to give women the place they deserve in the history of humanity. 

A legacy of struggle and solidarity 

The legacy of these women is a powerful reminder of the importance of collective struggle. With a clear class consciousness and specific needs as women, their solidarity and strength together were decisive for advances in social justice.  

This guided tour on the working women of Madrid, Organized by Cuarto Propio, with the support of Wikimedia Spain, not only sheds light on the forgotten history of Madrid’s cigar makers, washerwomen and greengrocers, but also underlines the importance of making visible those women whose contributions have been crucial to the formation of labour and feminist movements. Through their courage and solidarity, they not only faced personal and social challenges, but also sowed the seeds of the labour and gender rights that are considered fundamental today.