Podcast Summary: Todo Concostrina – "La inexistente violencia contra las mujeres en la Historia"

Host: Nieves Concostrina
Guest/Co-host: Carlas
Date: November 25, 2025
Source: SER Podcast
Episode Theme: A historical reflection on why the violence against women is so invisible and under-documented in history, with a critical, sometimes ironic, lens on the selection of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Overview of the Episode

This episode addresses the recurring and largely invisible violence against women throughout history, examining why it's been so difficult to trace, record, and historically memorialize such violence. Nieves Concostrina and Carlas dissect the reasons why there are so few historical benchmarks or dates that the UN and other bodies can use to commemorate milestones in the fight against gender violence. The discussion ranges from international cases (like the Mirabal sisters) to poignant Spanish cases (like Francisca de Pedraza), and reflects on the broader challenges of historical memory when it comes to the suffering of women.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Problematic Historical Erasure

• Lack of Data: Unlike phenomena such as wars or epidemics, historical records rarely document violence against women or "crímenes machistas". This is because such violence was normalized and socially accepted, rendering it invisible in official accounts.

  “Puedes encontrar índices de analfabetismo... pero es casi imposible rastrear en la historia el maltrato a las mujeres o los crímenes machistas porque estaban aceptados socialmente.” – Nieves (01:13)

2. Critique of the Selected Date for International Day

• Mirabal Sisters' Case: The United Nations chose November 25th to honor the Mirabal sisters, murdered in Trujillo’s Dominican Republic regime. However, Nieves argues the date, while emblematic of a political assassination, does not epitomize gender-based violence per se.

  “Fue un salvaje crimen político, pero no fue un crimen machista... Las mataron porque eran activistas contra el régimen.” – Nieves (02:15)

• Other commemorative days often have a clear, historically connected anchor (e.g., Gandhi’s birthday for Day of Nonviolence or the first AIDS case for World AIDS Day), but in the case of violence against women, the chosen date is somewhat arbitrary due to the lack of more fitting historical examples.

3. Alternative Significant Dates and Cases

• International and National Alternatives: Nieves suggests:

  • The decapitations of Anne Boleyn (May 19) and Catherine Howard (February 13), both historical cases of male-perpetrated violence cloaked as official executions.

    “Enrique VIII no perdía tiempo en dar un guantazo por una infidelidad. Él directamente decapitaba.” – Nieves (04:55)

    • Memorable quote from Anne Boleyn before her execution:

      “No tengo más remedio que estar agradecida a mi esposo... me hizo marquesa, luego me convirtió en reina y ahora... me envía al cielo para que me convierta en santa.” – Anne Boleyn via Nieves (05:16)

  • The Spanish Case of Francisca de Pedraza (March 27, 1624): A historic legal fight for divorce from an abusive husband—a virtually unheard-of victory for the time, thanks to her perseverance and luck. This case, rediscovered recently, stands as a rare documented instance of historical gender violence and resistance.

    “Esa mujer era un cadáver andante ya por las calles de Alcalá cuando planteó ante el arzobispo de la ciudad su cuarta demanda... Hasta que consiguió ser oída finalmente por la justicia universitaria. Esto fue lo que la salvó por quinta vez.” – Nieves (09:17)

4. Why Historical Silence?

• Normalization and Lack of Interest: Nieves argues that the absence of historical data is not accidental—it’s because “nobody thought to look for it,” as male historians and chroniclers simply didn’t see it as noteworthy.

  “No vas a buscar datos de una cosa que te parecía normal, porque era normal que un marido pegara a su mujer…” – Nieves (12:00)

• Rare Examples of Awareness: Only a few figures, like the historian Sabina Álvarez and writers Emilia Pardo Bazán and Carmen de Burgos, actively documented or campaigned against gender violence in their times.

5. Women’s Rights Pioneers in Spain

• Emilia Pardo Bazán: Denounced impunity for “crímenes pasionales”—killings of women whose perpetrators claimed passion as a legal defense.

  “Siguen a la orden del día los asesinatos de mujeres. Han aprendido los criminales que eso de la pasión es una gran defensa...” – Emilia Pardo Bazán (attributed via Nieves, 13:54)

• Carmen de Burgos: A survivor of abuse, she pushed for divorce rights and was dismissed as “la divorciadora” or even “loca”.

• Reflecting on resistance to feminist ideas, Carlas quotes a male contemporary who praised Burgos only as long as she avoided “feminismo exagerado,” which he described in deeply misogynistic terms.

  “Promiscuidad feminista... pretende igualarlos en actividades y derechos y crear una sociedad... donde no haya preeminencias para ninguno.” – Antonio Ledesma Hernández, cited by Carlas (15:24)

6. Contemporary Recognition

• Francisca de Pedraza Award: Now given annually by the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares to activists against gender violence, e.g., psychologist Sonia Bacaro for her work on “violencia vicaria”—when abusers harm children to inflict pain on mothers (10:13).
• Message of Hope: The episode closes on a note of continued struggle and recognition that documenting and fighting gendered violence is ongoing, but progress is being made.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• [02:15] Nieves: “Las hermanas Mirabal... Fue un salvaje crimen político, pero no fue un crimen machista.”
• [04:55] Nieves on Henry VIII: “Enrique VIII no perdía tiempo en dar un guantazo por una infidelidad. Él directamente decapitaba.”
• [09:17] Nieves on Francisca de Pedraza: “Esta mujer era un cadáver andante... cuando planteó... su cuarta demanda de separación... Hasta que consiguió ser oída finalmente por la justicia universitaria.”
• [13:54] Nieves (quoting Pardo Bazán, 1901): “Siguen a la orden del día los asesinatos de mujeres... por la pasión se sale a la calle libre y en paz de Dios.”
• [15:24] Carlas, quoting Antonio Ledesma Hernández: "Promiscuidad feminista... pretende igualarlos en actividades y derechos... donde no haya preeminencias..."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:26] – Introduction and context for choosing historical commemorations
• [01:08] – The invisibility of violence against women in historical records
• [02:03] – The UN and the Mirabal sisters as a commemorative anchor
• [04:13] – Alternative international and national historical dates
• [07:13] – Francisca de Pedraza, early legal fight against abuse in Spain
• [10:13] – Contemporary honors: Premio Francisca de Pedraza and violence against children as a form of abuse ("violencia vicaria")
• [11:44] – Historical absence of interest in violence against women
• [13:35] – Early journalism documenting "crímenes pasionales"
• [14:14] – Carmen de Burgos and the campaign for divorce in Spain
• [15:24] – Reflection on historical resistance to feminism

Tone and Language

The episode balances rigor and irony, using clear and sometimes biting language to critique historical and contemporary omissions, while maintaining a sense of hope and activism.

Final Thoughts

Anyone who listens—or reads this summary—will come away with a deeper understanding of why gender violence is such a neglected subject in historical memory. Nieves Concostrina exposes the systemic and social reasons behind this erasure, honors forgotten pioneers, and advocates for both recognition and continued struggle. This episode stands as a compelling call not only to remember, but to actively document and fight against violence toward women.