“Mestras nos primeiros anos da nossa vida”: a função sociocultural da mulher portuguesa segundo o iluminista Luís António Verney (1713-1792)

This paper aims to discuss the socio-cultural role of the 18th century Portuguese women valued by Luís António Verney during the Illustrated Reformism era. Through the textual analysis of the epistles that compose the Verdadeiro Método de Estudar (1746), we will demonstrate that, according to the author, the women education is fundamental, because they, as family mothers, are the teachers of their children in the first years of life.