Martha Bucaram

Martha Bucaram Ortiz (12 October 1941 – 24 May 1981) was an Ecuadorian lawyer and feminist who was First Lady of Ecuador to President Jaime Roldós Aguilera, with whom she was killed in a plane crash.

Biography

Martha Bucaram Ortiz was the firstborn child of Lebanese immigrant Jacobo Bucaram Elmhalin and Ecuadorian Rina Ortiz Caicedo, sister of athlete Jacobo Bucaram and future President of Ecuador, Abdalá Bucaram. In 1962, she married Jaime Roldós Aguilera and gave birth to three children. Her firstborn daughter, Martha Roldós, has entered politics and became a deputy in the Ethics and Democracy Network party.

First Lady of Ecuador When Jaime Roldós Aguilera assumed the Presidency of Ecuador, Bucaram became the First Lady and assumed the traditional office of president of the National Institute for Children and the Family.

As a feminist, Bucaram fought for changes to the Civil Code of Ecuador that would expand the role of women in Ecuadorian society. As First Lady, she created the Office of Women, attached to the Presidency since 1980.