Fernández was born on February 19, 1953[5] in Tolosa, a suburb west of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. She is a daughter of Eduardo Fernández (of Spanish heritage), a bus driver, and Ofelia Esther Wilhelm (of German descent).[14][15] She studied law at the National University of La Plata during the 1970s and became active in the Peronist Youth.[1