Teresa Mattei added ‘de facto’ to Italy’s 1948 Constitution economic-equality clause.

Evidence

As I write, many are fighting for a different society, believing in it with such dedication that they risk their lives. My contribution is from a safe position, but I understand the need for daring. My great-uncle and great-aunt continue to be sources of inspiration. My grandfather Camillo’s siblings fought fascist oppression. His sister Teresa Mattei, with the battle name Chicchi, was the youngest woman to sit in the 1946 Italian Constituent Assembly after the fall of Mussolini’s regime. It was thanks to her that the words “de facto” were included in Article 3 of the Italian Constitution: It is the duty of the Republic to remove the obstacles of an economic and social order, which, by limiting de facto the freedom and equality of citizens, prevent the full development of the human person and the effective participation of all workers in the political, economic, and social organization of the country. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 46

Categorization

• SHARE: For someone interested in constitutional law or feminist history of antifascism.
• XREF: The Article 3 text in the next paragraph is a canonical constitutional statement of substantive equality.