Why a woman fights a bull? The role of female matadors in Spanish tradition of bullfight

Abstract

The traditional corrida de toros, belonging to the broad category of tauromachic shows, is most often associated with the domain of men. In fact, statistics confirm that the majority of people employed in the bullfighting are men. Women constitute only a few percent. From the beginning of the existence of corrida de toros, women aspired to become a matador. The Matador has the right or even obligation to kill a bull during the show. This task is seen as dangerous and very difficult. The history of bullfighting shows that there always have been women who tried to oppose existing stereotypes. Usually they were units. Women did not learn this profession en masse. Nowadays, social moods are on their side in most cases, but they are still very few compared to men. Part of society still believes that a woman should not take someone’s life, because she was created to give it.