Since its introduction into the Spanish university system in 1957, civil engineering has witnessed a significant social shift: the incorporation of women. This milestone is personified in two fundamental figures. On the one hand, the Basque engineer Araceli Sánchez Urquijo (1920-2010). This “war child” trained in Moscow and worked in hydroelectric power stations in Uzbekistan. In 1957, after her return to Spain, she became the first woman to be registered with the country's professional association, developing a brilliant career as a project manager at Isolux for thirty years. On the other hand, Carmen de Andrés Conde (born 1951) from Madrid. In 1973, she became the first woman to graduate in civil engineering in Spain. A specialist in water and environmental management, her career was recognized in 2021 with the National Civil Engineering Award.
The above examples and the opening of new technical schools, such as those in Santander (1966), Valencia (1968), and Barcelona (1973), boosted women's access to the profession. This exhibition offers an overview of the first female professionals in the field in the Valencia region. Their determination and ability broke down barriers and created a reality that was once unthinkable.
