Esther Chapa

Esther Chapa Tijerina (22 October 1904 – 14 December 1970) was a Mexican medical surgeon, educator, writer, feminist, suffragist, trade unionist, and women's and children's rights activist. In her medical practice she specialized in clinical analysis and microbiology, and she taught microbiology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Early life Esther Chapa was born on October 22, 1904, in Tamaulipas to Virginia Tijerina and Quirino Chapa. She had four siblings.

She served as president of the National School of Nursing and co-founded the surgeon’s union and union of service workers. Drs. Chapa and Cabo became acquainted with one another while in medical school and created reforms to assist in prisons, prostitution, and welfare for women and children. Her view was less maternalistic than other women in the group. Many countries had already granted women’s rights to their people. However, Chapa insisted on following the Soviet Union’s method: women are to enjoy their equality with men rather than having men grant their equality through legislation. She was also director of the Help Committee for the Children of the Spanish People (for refugees of the Spanish Civil War).

After the Frente Unico gained their victory in granting women equal rights in 1958, Chapa became an international consultant and made frequent trips to China to foster relations between the countries of China and Mexico.

Chapa died of cancer in December 1970.

Selected works

Las mujeres mexicanas (with Miguel Alemán) (1945) La mujer en la política en el próximo sexenio (1946) El problema de la penitenciaría del Distrito Federal (1947) Apuntes de prácticas de microbiología (with Pedro Pérez Grovas) (1941)