The Legal, Religious, and Moral Regulation of Fatherhood in Nineteenth-Century Spain

The article analyzes the legal, religious, and moral construction of fatherhood in nineteenth-century Spain, with particular attention to the liberal bourgeoisie. Drawing on legislation, Catholic doctrine, and conduct manuals, it explores how the father was defined as the patriarchal head of household, guardian of family order, breadwinner, and moral educator. These discourses legitimized paternal authority through patria potestas and reinforced a hierarchical, patriarchal family structure. Although they incorporated ideals of domestic affection and sensitivity associated with bourgeois culture, they maintained deep gender inequalities. In this way, fatherhood was consolidated as a central pillar of nineteenth-century social order within Spanish society.