Talkative Women

A reader of this blog asked for more posts on the Spanish Civil War and I’m more than happy to follow this suggestion.

Here is something interesting. The Nationalist rebels against the Second Republic persecuted and prosecuted Republicans during the war and for a long time after it ended. Among the women who were punished by the Nationalists, most were around 24 years of age. And the reports of the informants that were used to condemn these women constantly employ the word “habladora” to explain why they needed to be punished.

“Habladora” means “a woman who speaks,” “a talkative woman.” These reports don’t explain what is so bad about being talkative. They are directed to readers who already know.