Gina Lombroso

Born in Pavia to Nina De Benedetti and the criminologist and psychiatrist Cesare Lombroso, Gina Lombroso grew up in Turin inseparable from her sister Paola, who would become a journalist, teacher, and children’s-book writer. Inspired by her father and also her mentor Anna Kuliscioff, Lombroso obtained degrees in literature and philosophy (1897) and medicine (1901) and was active in liberal politics. In 1901, she married Guglielmo Ferrero, a politically radical sociologist and historian, with whom she would partner on a number of projects. In addition to continuing her father’s social psychological research, Lombroso advocated for the rights of workers and women. An internationally recognized feminist and suffragist, many of her writings criticized conventional feminism for its ostensible efforts to “masculinize” women and delegitimize the unique value of traditional women’s roles.