The two versions behind the origin of Secretary’s Day: why it is celebrated today

Like every September 4, this Saturday, Secretary’s Day is celebrated in the country, a time when we particularly honor the women who perform this essential task in different fields and establishments. The origin of the chosen date has different versions, two of which are the most accepted and repeated.

One of the stories that would have brought the day of the celebration to life dates back to the second stage of the Industrial Revolution, in the 19th century, when the American inventor Christophe sholes designed the first typewriter, in 1873.

Liliane, Sholes’ daughter, tasted her father’s creation, thus becoming the first female typist, discipline of those who specialized in mechanical writing, something which for the time was quite a skill, since the keyboard was a completely new instrument.

Over time, these devices began to be mass-produced by various companies and used in different spaces, mainly by women, who were the ones who most often studied typing.

a century laterIn honor of Shloes’ invention, typewriter makers celebrated the date and held contests to highlight the best typist. This celebration was repeated every year until the date was fixed as Secretaries day, although each country has chosen to do so on different days.

The other version on the origin of this celebration dates back to the last century: in 1942, in the United States, the rights of these workers have been recognized and the National Association of Secretaries.

A decade later Marie Barret, president of this association and recognized activist for the cause, organized an event that brought together all the secretaries and set a date in honor of their work: “Week of national secretaries”.

With the support of C. King Woodbridge, president of Dictaphone Corporation (a company that manufactured dictation machines), and Harry F. Klemfuss, a publicist who saw the potential of the idea of ​​choosing a day to recognize the work of the administration, the world joined the initiative and began to celebrate.

On the other hand, during the 1960s Latin American women demanded jobs, equal opportunities and fairer wages, which led to the First Inter-American Congress of Secretaries in Buenos Aires early in the following decade.

The celebration is global, but each country does it at different times: in Argentina and Uruguay, it is celebrated on September 4. While in Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Panama, Bolivia and Peru, the April 26.

While in Venezuela and Brazil, September 30. In Mexico, they celebrate it on the third Wednesday in July every year. since 1958, when the date was set by the President of the Executive Secretaries of this country, María Luisa Rodríguez, with the aim of recognizing this work as well as promoting additional information to increase levels or maintain efficiency. The official worked at the Industrial Productivity Center, where she organized the country’s first congress of executive secretaries. Later, it would become the Foundation of Executive Secretaries of Mexico.

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