Latin American Women's Movement Analysis

703 Words3 Pages

The creators of several social movements usually start with women, this is no exception in Latin America. Women emerged decade after decade, generation after generation as foot soldiers in protest of terrible living conditions and other harsh realities. The women’s movements in Latin America can be described as necessary and ultimately bold. It’s not too far from the truth to say that women mobilized in great part due to both economic crisis and excessive military rule. Both were detrimental to their lives as impacted by low birth rates, rising numbers of the unemployed and several other factors. A few main concepts associated with these movements include: preserving the family unit by means of being against poor wages for workers and also …show more content…

to see women rising up in two different countries. As the first woman’s movement in the U.S. became more and more public, it was white women and a certain class of women that were seen, heard and chosen to be heads of these movements. Women of color for example were asked to support from the sidelines or weren’t able to participate fully in any position at all. Even the woman’s movement that sprung up from Betty Freidan’s The Feminine Mystique was praised for bringing a deep seated female issue to the forefront…alas it wasn’t every woman’s problem and one could argue as much as it brought women together as they picked it up and read it, the published work also isolated many others. Later as a new branch of the women’s movement started, a more radical one that embraced LGBT accessibility many of them found less support. Still as of today, many argue that the U.S. is a more progressive country to reside in and fight more such rights especially as a woman versus being in a country in Latin …show more content…

One must consider the unique heritage that these women represent; while there are several different countries that these women belong to (in Latin America as a whole). We should acknowledge that there is more than one language spoken, more than one ethnic group present. It isn’t a huge melting pot of several widely different ethnic groups and cultures. There is difference but in contrast not to the extent of the U.S. One could also argue in comparison to the U.S. there may be a greater need to cling to tradition in regards to the role of mother. This is present in several of the movements including the Madres and their older counterparts, the Abuelas. Whether they have to redefine that role or constantly revolutionize with motherhood in mind, the women of Latin America in regards to how they are differ aren’t without