The Consiglio Nazionale delle Donne Italiane (CNDI) or National Council of Italian Women is an Italian federation of women's associations, including those admitting both men and women, bent on improving conditions for women. Founded in 1903 as the Italian branch of the

International Council of Women The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating women's rights, human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington D.C ...

, it originally brought together organizations from federations representing

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

and

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

and was chaired by

Gabriella Rasponi Spalletti Gabriella Rasponi Spalletti (1853–1931) was an Italian feminist, educator and philanthropist. Keen to improve conditions for women, in 1897 she founded an embroidery school in Quarrata, Tuscany. From 1903, as president of the National Council of ...

until her death in 1931. From the beginning, the council has been open to all women, irrespective of their political or religious views. Still active today, it is involved in helping with the establishment of women's cooperatives, educating illiterate women, assisting migrants and developing the role of women in the professions. It also combats prostitution and the trafficking of women. In 1908, the CNDI organized the ''Congresso Nazionale delle Donne Italiane'' (National Congress of Italian Women) which was attended by over 30 women's organizations from throughout Italy. It was inaugurated on 23 April by

Queen Margherita Margherita of Savoy (''Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna''; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was Queen of Italy by marriage to her first cousin King Umberto I of Italy. She was the daughter of Prince Ferdinando of Savoy, Duke of Genoa and ...

with an audience which included over 1,400 women. Topics covered women's working conditions, education, health and political rights. A plenary session organized by the ''Comitato Nazionale Pro-Suffragio femminile'' (National Committee for Women's Suffrage) was centred on how parliament could be persuaded to accept voting rights for women. In 1931,

was succeeded by the fascist feminist Countess Daisy di Robilant as chair of CNDI.COMMISSIONE REGIONALE PER LE PARI OPPORTUNITA’ DEL FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA, (2017), "L’ ASSOCIAZIONISMO FEMMINILE TRA OTTOCENTO E NOVECENTO - STORIA NAZIONALE E STORIA REGIONALE", https://www.consiglio.regione.fvg.it/cms/export/sites/consiglio/pagine/commissione-pari-opportunita/.allegati_crpo/Memoria.PDF However, the CNDI was dissolved later during the fascist period. One reason for this was sanctions on Italy by the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

after the invasion of Ethiopia in 1936 but also because of anti-semitic racial laws promulgated by Mussolini in 1938. In 1944, the CNDI was revived. Over the years, it has organized many meetings on topics of interest to women, including the introduction of divorce and the reform of family law. More recently, the agenda has included professional training and employment, and how to increase women's involvement in the public sphere. Early members of the organization included writers, teachers and suffragists such as Lavinia Taverna, Maria Pasolini Ponti, Sofia Bisi Albini, Giacinta Martini Marescotti, Maria Grassi Koenen, Virginia Nathan,

Angelica Devito Tommasi ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 90 species of tall Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous, herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as ...

Maria Montessori Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori ( ; ; 31 August 1870 – 6 May 1952) was an Italians, Italian physician and educator best known for her philosophy of education (the Montessori method) and her writing on scientific pedagogy. At an early a ...

and Alice Schiavoni Bosio.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official site
Organizations established in 1903 1903 establishments in Italy Women's rights organizations Women's organisations based in Italy Women's suffrage in Italy International Council of Women