gender roles in colombia 1950s

Upper class women in a small town in 1950s Columbia, were expected to be mothers and wives when they grew up. Gender Roles In Raisin In The Sun. Women also . Urrutia focuses first on class war and then industrialization as the mitigating factors, and Bergquist uses the development of an export economy. Women Working: Comparative Perspectives in, Bergquist, Charles. In shifting contexts of war and peace within a particular culture, gender attributes, roles, responsibilities, and identities They explore various gender-based theories on changing numbers of women participating in the workforce that, while drawn from specific urban case studies, could also apply to rural phenomena. Women belonging to indigenous groups were highly targeted by the Spanish colonizers during the colonial era. The reasoning behind this can be found in the work of Arango, Farnsworth-Alvear, and Keremitsis. She received her doctorate from Florida International University, graduated cum laude with a Bachelors degree in Spanish from Harvard University, and holds a Masters Degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the University of Connecticut. These themes are discussed in more detail in later works by Luz G. Arango. Women in Colombian Organizations, 1900-1940: A Study in Changing Gender Roles. Journal of Womens History 2.1 (Spring 1990): 98-119. In spite of this monolithic approach, women and children, often from the families of permanent hacienda workers, joinedin the coffee harvest., In other words, they were not considered a permanent part of the coffee labor force, although an editorial from 1933 stated that the coffee industry in Colombia provided adequate and almost permanent work to women and children., There were women who participated directly in the coffee industry as the sorters and graders of coffee beans (, Familial relationships could make or break the success of a farm or familys independence and there was often competition between neighbors. French, John D. and Daniel James. In 1957 women first voted in Colombia on a plebiscite. For example, the blending of forms is apparent in the pottery itself. Prosperity took an upswing and the traditional family unit set idealistic Americans apart from their Soviet counterparts. The press playedon the fears of male readers and the anti-Communism of the Colombian middle and ruling classes., Working women then were not only seen as a threat to traditional social order and gender roles, but to the safety and political stability of the state. Farnsworths subjects are part of an event of history, the industrialization of Colombia, but their histories are oral testimonies to the experience. Bergquist, Charles. . Duncans book emphasizes the indigenous/Spanish cultural dichotomy in parallel to female/male polarity, and links both to the colonial era especially. . Duncan, Crafts, Capitalism, and Women, 101. Double standard of infidelity. Drawing from her evidence, she makes two arguments: that changing understandings of femininity and masculinity shaped the way allactors understood the industrial workplace and that working women in Medelln lived gender not as an opposition between male and female but rather as a normative field marked by proper and improper ways of being female. The use of gender makes the understanding of historio-cultural change in Medelln in relation to industrialization in the early twentieth century relevant to men as well as women. Her analysis is not merely feminist, but humanist and personal. The book, while probably accurate, is flat. While they are both concerned with rural areas, they are obviously not looking at the same two regions. This is essentially the same argument that Bergquist made about the family coffee farm. My own search for additional sources on her yielded few titles, none of which were written later than 1988. Bergquist, Labor History and its Challenges: Confessions of a Latin. For Farnsworth-Alvear, different women were able to create their own solutions for the problems and challenges they faced unlike the women in Duncans book, whose fates were determined by their position within the structure of the system. [18], Last edited on 23 February 2023, at 14:07, "Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) | Data", "Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (Modeled ILO estimate) | Data", http://www.omct.org/files/2004/07/2409/eng_2003_04_colombia.pdf, "Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in Colombia: Causes and Consequences", "With advances and setbacks, a year of struggle for women's rights", "Violence and discrimination against women in the armed conflict in Colombia", Consejeria Presidencial para la Equidad de la Mujer, Human Rights Watch - Women displaced by violence in Colombia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Women_in_Colombia&oldid=1141128931. Squaring the Circle: Womens Factory Labor, The Gendered Worlds of Latin American Women Workers. Again, the discussion is brief and the reference is the same used by Bergquist. Some texts published in the 1980s (such as those by Dawn Keremitsis, ) appear to have been ahead of their time, and, along with Tomn,. This may be part of the explanation for the unevenness of sources on labor, and can be considered a reason to explore other aspects of Colombian history so as not to pigeonhole it any more than it already has been. At the same time, women still feel the pressures of their domestic roles, and unpaid caregiving labor in the home is a reason many do not remain employed on the flower farms for more than a few years at a time.. The Early Colombian Labor Movement: Artisans and Politics in Bogota, 1832-1919. Farnsworth-Alvear, Ann. Official statistics often reflect this phenomenon by not counting a woman who works for her husband as employed. In the 2000s, 55,8% of births were to cohabiting mothers, 22,9% to married mothers, and 21,3% to single mothers (not living with a partner). For example, while the men and older boys did the heavy labor, the women and children of both sexes played an important role in the harvest., This role included the picking, depulping, drying, and sorting of coffee beans before their transport to the coffee towns., Women and girls made clothes, wove baskets for the harvest, made candles and soap, and did the washing., On the family farm, the division of labor for growing food crops is not specified, and much of Bergquists description of daily life in the growing region reads like an ethnography, an anthropological text rather than a history, and some of it sounds as if he were describing a primitive culture existing within a modern one. This book is more science than history, and I imagine that the transcripts from the interviews tell some fascinating stories; those who did the interviews might have written a different book than the one we have from those who analyzed the numbers. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1997. Throughout history and over the last years, women have strongly intended to play central roles in addressing major aspects of the worlda? Eugene Sofer has said that working class history is more inclusive than a traditional labor history, one known for its preoccupation with unions, and that working class history incorporates the concept that working people should be viewed as conscious historical actors., It seems strange that much of the historical literature on labor in Colombia would focus on organized labor since the number of workers in unions is small, with only about, , and the role of unions is generally less important in comparison to the rest of Latin America.. Bergquist, Labor in Latin America, 318. While women are forging this new ground, they still struggle with balance and the workplace that has welcomed them has not entirely accommodated them either. Perfect Wives in Ideal Homes: The Story of Women in the 1950s. In La Chamba, there are more households headed by women than in other parts of Colombia (30% versus 5% in Rquira)., Most of these households depend on the sale of ceramics for their entire income. For purely normative reasons, I wanted to look at child labor in particular for this essay, but it soon became clear that the number of sources was abysmally small. Gender Roles in the 1950's In the 1950's as of now there will always be many roles that will be specifically appointed to eache gender. She is . The only other time Cano appears is in Pedraja Tomns work.. Crdenas, Mauricio and Carlos E. Jurez. Farnsworth-Alvear, Ann. Keep writing. The same pattern exists in the developing world though it is less well-researched. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992. in studying the role of women in Colombia and of more general interest for those concerned with the woman in Latin America-first, the intertwining of socioeconomic class and the "place" the woman occupies in society; second, the predominant values or perspectives on what role women should play; third, some political aspects of women's participation The role of women in politics appears to be a prevailing problem in Colombia. In 1936, Mara Carulla founded the first school of social works under the support of the Our Lady of the Rosary University. My own search for additional sources on her yielded few titles, none of which were written later than 1988. Sowell, The Early Colombian Labor Movement, 14. Gender role theory emphasizes the environmental causes of gender roles and the impact of socialization, or the process of transferring norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors to group members, in learning how to behave as a male or a female. R. Barranquilla: Dos Tendencias en el Movimiento Obrero, Crafts, Capitalism, and Women: The Potters of La Chamba, Colombia. Keremitsis, Dawn. Womens identities are not constituted apart from those of mensnor can the identity of individualsbe derivedfrom any single dimension of their lives. In other words, sex should be observed and acknowledged as one factor influencing the actors that make history, but it cannot be considered the sole defining or determining characteristic. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. French and James. The book begins with the Society of Artisans (La Sociedad de Artesanos) in 19th century Colombia, though who they are exactly is not fully explained. To the extent that . Conflicts between workers were defined in different ways for men and women. We welcome written and photography submissions. [16], The armed conflict in the country has had a very negative effect on women, especially by exposing them to gender-based violence. Rosenberg, Terry Jean. In the early twentieth century, the Catholic Church in Colombia was critical of industrialists that hired women to work for them. The Rgimen de Capitulaciones Matrimoniales was once again presented in congress in 1932 and approved into Law 28 of 1932. Friedmann-Sanchez, Greta. Equally important is the limited scope for examining participation. Freidmann-Sanchez notes the high degree of turnover among female workers in the floriculture industry. Labor History and its Challenges: Confessions of a Latin, Sofer, Eugene F. Recent Trends in Latin American Labor Historiography., Crdenas, Mauricio and Carlos E. Jurez. Gabriela Pelez, who was admitted as a student in 1936 and graduated as a lawyer, became the first female to ever graduate from a university in Colombia. Given the importance of women to this industry, and in turn its importance within Colombias economy, womens newfound agency and self-worth may have profound effects on workplace structures moving forward. Men were authoritative and had control over the . The constant political violence, social issues, and economic problems were among the main subjects of study for women, mainly in the areas of family violence and couple relationships, and also in children abuse. It is difficult to know where to draw a line in the timeline of Colombian history. Specific Roles. Latin American Women Workers in Transition: Sexual Division of, the Labor Force in Mexico and Colombia in the Textile Industry., Rosenberg, Terry Jean. The value of the labor both as income and a source of self-esteem has superseded the importance of reputation. In both cases, there is no mention of women at all. Sowell attempts to bring other elements into his work by pointing out that the growth of economic dependency on coffee in Colombia did not affect labor evenly in all geographic areas of the country. Bogot was still favorable to artisans and industry. The nature of their competition with British textile imports may lead one to believe they are local or indigenous craft and cloth makers men, women, and children alike but one cannot be sure from the text. Oral History, Identity Formation, and Working-Class Mobilization. In, Gendered Worlds of Latin American Women Workers, Lpez-Alves, Fernando. As never before, women in the factories existed in a new and different sphere: In social/sexual terms, factory space was different from both home and street. It was safer than the street and freer than the home. The law generated controversy, as did any issue related to women's rights at the time. Arango, Luz G. Mujer, Religin, e Industria: Fabricato, 1923-1982. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992. He cites the small number of Spanish women who came to the colonies and the number and influence of indigenous wives and mistresses as the reason Colombias biologically mestizo society was largely indigenous culturally. This definition is an obvious contradiction to Bergquists claim that Colombia is racially and culturally homogenous. At the same time, others are severely constrained by socio-economic and historical/cultural contexts that limit the possibilities for creative action. Tudor 1973) were among the first to link women's roles to negative psycho-logical outcomes. I am reminded of Paul A. Cohens book. The Ceramics of Rquira, Colombia: Gender, Work, and Economic Change. They take data from discreet sectors of Colombia and attempt to fit them not into a pan-Latin American model of class-consciousness and political activism, but an even broader theory. Squaring the Circle: Womens Factory Labor, History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience, and Myth. In the same way the women spoke in a double voice about workplace fights, they also distanced themselves from any damaging characterization as loose or immoral women. The Development of the Colombian Labor Movement. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2000. , edited by John D. French and Daniel James. After this, women began to be seen by many as equal to men for their academic achievements, creativity, and discipline. Leah Hutton Blumenfeld, PhD, is a professor of Political Science, International Relations, and Womens Studies at Barry University. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1997, 2. The use of oral testimony requires caution. Womens identities are still closely tied to their roles as wives or mothers, and the term las floristeras (the florists) is used pejoratively, implying her loose sexual morals. Womens growing economic autonomy is still a threat to traditional values. In the space of the factory, these liaisons were less formal than traditional courtships. Friedmann-Sanchezs work then suggests this more accurate depiction of the workforce also reflects one that will continue to affect change into the future. The Ceramics of Rquira, Colombia: Gender, Work, and Economic. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2000. Not only is his analysis interested in these differentiating factors, but he also notes the importance of defining artisan in the Hispanic context,. It did not pass, and later generated persecutions and plotting against the group of women. Most of the women who do work are related to the man who owns the shop., Womens work supports the mans, but is undervalued and often discounted. Children today on the other hand might roll out of bed, when provoked to do so . The use of gender makes the understanding of historio-cultural change in Medelln in relation to industrialization in the early twentieth century relevant to men as well as women. Gerda Westendorp was admitted on February 1, 1935, to study medicine. At the same time, women still feel the pressures of their domestic roles, and unpaid caregiving labor in the home is a reason many do not remain employed on the flower farms for more than a few years at a time., According to Freidmann-Sanchez, when women take on paid work, they experience an elevation in status and feeling of self-worth. The variety of topics and time periods that have been covered in the literature reveal that it is underdeveloped, since there are not a significant number on any one era or area in particular. History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience, and Myth. Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Gender roles are timeless stereotypes that belong in the 1950s, yet sixty years later they still exist. The press playedon the fears of male readers and the anti-Communism of the Colombian middle and ruling classes. Working women then were not only seen as a threat to traditional social order and gender roles, but to the safety and political stability of the state. This understanding can be more enlightening within the context of Colombian history than are accounts of names and events. During this period, the Andes were occupied by a number of indigenous groups that ranged from stratified agricultural chiefdoms to tropical farm Assets in Intrahousehold Bargaining Among Women Workers in Colombias Cut-flower Industry, Feminist Economics, 12:1-2 (2006): 247-269. andPaid Agroindustrial Work and Unpaid Caregiving for Dependents: The Gendered Dialectics between Structure and Agency in Colombia, Anthropology of Work Review, 33:1 (2012): 34-46. According to Bergquists earlier work, the historiography of labor in Latin America as a whole is still underdeveloped, but open to interpretive efforts., The focus of his book is undeniably on the history of the labor movement; that is, organized labor and its link to politics as history. It seems strange that much of the historical literature on labor in Colombia would focus on organized labor since the number of workers in unions is small, with only about 4% of the total labor force participating in trade unions in 2016, and the role of unions is generally less important in comparison to the rest of Latin America. If the traditional approach to labor history obscures as much as it reveals, then a better approach to labor is one that looks at a larger cross-section of workers. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1997. The book goes through the Disney movies released in the 1950s and how they reinforced the social norms at the time, including gender norms. The blue (right) represents the male Mars symbol. In the early twentieth century, the Catholic Church in Colombia was critical of industrialists that hired women to work for them. [11] Marital rape was criminalized in 1996. The Digital Government Agenda North America Needs, Medical Adaptation: Traditional Treatments for Modern Diseases Among Two Mapuche Communities in La Araucana, Chile. While they are both concerned with rural areas, they are obviously not looking at the same two regions. Gender symbols intertwined. The decree passed and was signed by the Liberal government of Alfonso Lpez Pumarejo. Thus, there may be a loss of cultural form in the name of progress, something that might not be visible in a non-gendered analysis. On December 10, 1934 the Congress of Colombia presented a law to give women the right to study. Sowell, David. Not only could women move away from traditional definitions of femininity in defending themselves, but they could also enjoy a new kind of flirtation without involvement. Men's infidelity seen as a sign of virility and biologically driven. Activities carried out by minor citizens in the 1950's would include: playing outdoors, going to the diner with friends, etc. Explaining Confederation: Colombian Unions in the 1980s. Latin American Research Review 25.2 (1990): 115-133. Women Working: Comparative Perspectives in Developing Areas. It is possible that most of Urrutias sources did not specify such facts; this was, after all, 19, century Bogot. Even by focusing on women instead, I have had to be creative in my approach. As Charles Bergquist pointed out in 1993,, gender has emerged as a tool for understanding history from a multiplicity of perspectives and that the inclusion of women resurrects a multitude of subjects previously ignored. The small industries and factories that opened in the late 1800s generally increased job opportunities for women because the demand was for unskilled labor that did not directly compete with the artisans.. Employment in the flower industry is a way out of the isolation of the home and into a larger community as equal individuals., Their work is valued and their worth is reinforced by others. There is some horizontal mobility in that a girl can choose to move to another town for work. The Development of the Colombian Labor Movement, Pedraja Tomn, Ren de la. This book is more science than history, and I imagine that the transcripts from the interviews tell some fascinating stories; those who did the interviews might have written a different book than the one we have from those who analyzed the numbers. The Ceramics of Rquira, Colombia: Gender, Work, and Economic Change. The historian has to see the context in which the story is told. In the 1950s, women felt tremendous societal pressure to focus their aspirations on a wedding ring. Womens work in cottage-industry crafts is frequently viewed within the local culture as unskilled work, simply an extension of their domestic work and not something to be remunerated at wage rates used for men. This classification then justifies low pay, if any, for their work. In spite of a promising first chapter, Sowells analysis focuses on organization and politics, on men or workers in the generic, and in the end is not all that different from Urrutias work. Female Industrial Employment and Protective Labor Legislation in Bogot, Colombia. Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 24.1 (February 1982): 59-80. Man is the head of the Family, Woman Runs the House. Duncan is dealing with a slightly different system, though using the same argument about a continuity of cultural and social stratification passed down from the Colonial era. Junsay, Alma T. and Tim B. Heaton. Paid Agroindustrial Work and Unpaid Caregiving for Dependents: The Gendered Dialectics between Structure and Agency in Colombia, 38. She is able to make a connection between her specific subject matter and the larger history of working women, not just in Latin America but everywhere. The ideal nuclear family turned inward, hoping to make their home front safe, even if the world was not. Each author relies on the system as a determining factor in workers identity formation and organizational interests, with little attention paid to other elements. . The 1950s saw a growing emphasis on traditional family values, and by extension, gender roles. Labor in Latin America: Comparative Essays on Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, and Colombia. Buy from bookshop.org (affiliate link) Juliet Gardiner is a historian and broadcaster and a former editor of History Today. Male soldiers had just returned home from war to see America "at the summit of the world" (Churchill). gender roles) and gender expression. Since the 1970s, state agencies, like Artisanas de Colombia, have aided the establishment of workshops and the purchase of equipment primarily for men who are thought to be a better investment. The reasoning behind this can be found in the work of Arango, Farnsworth-Alvear, and Keremitsis. Crafts, Capitalism, and Women: The potters of La Chamba, Colombia. Pedraja Tomn, Women in Colombian Organizations, 1900-1940., Keremitsis, Latin American Women Workers in Transition.. From Miss . If the traditional approach to labor history obscures as much as it reveals, then a better approach to labor is one that looks at a larger cross-section of workers. If the mass of workers is involved, then the reader must assume that all individuals within that mass participated in the same way. As did Farnsworth-Alvear, French and James are careful to remind the reader that subjects are not just informants but story tellers.. With the growing popularity of the television and the importance of consumer culture in the 1950s, televised sitcoms and printed advertisements were the perfect way to reinforce existing gender norms to keep the family at the center of American society. Cohabitation is very common in this country, and the majority of children are born outside of marriage. Female Industrial Employment and Protective Labor, Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs, Pedraja Tomn, Women in Colombian Organizations, 1900-1940., Keremitsis, Latin American Women Workers in Transition., Mujer, Religin, e Industria: Fabricato, 1923-1982, Farnsworth-Alvear, Ann. There were few benefits to unionization since the nature of coffee production was such that producers could go for a long time without employees. Talking, Fighting, and Flirting: Workers Sociability in Medelln Textile Mills, 1935-1950. In The Gendered Worlds of Latin American Women Workers, edited by John D. French and Daniel James. Education for women was limited to the wealthy and they were only allowed to study until middle school in monastery under Roman Catholic education. [12] Article 42 of the Constitution of Colombia provides that "Family relations are based on the equality of rights and duties of the couple and on the mutual respect of all its members. The Ceramics of Rquira, Colombia: Gender, Work, and Economic Change,1. Labor Issues in Colombias Privatization: A Comparative Perspective. Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 34.S (1994): 237-259. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1997. andDulcinea in the Factory: Myths, Morals, Men, and Women in Colombias Industrial Experiment, 1905-1960, (Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2000). Masculinity, Gender Roles, and T.V. It was safer than the street and freer than the home. Her work departs from that of Cohens in the realm of myth. Her text delineates with charts the number of male and female workers over time within the industry and their participation in unions, though there is some discussion of the cultural attitudes towards the desirability of men over women as employees, and vice versa. were, where they come from, or what their lives were like inside and outside of the workplace. Even today, gender roles are still prevalent and simply change to fit new adaptations of society, but have become less stressed over time. Latin America has one of the lowest formally recognized employment rates for women in the world, due in part to the invisible work of home-based labor.Alma T. Junsay and Tim B. Heaton note worldwide increases in the number of women working since the 1950s, yet the division of labor is still based on traditional sex roles. This phenomenon, as well as discrepancies in pay rates for men and women, has been well-documented in developed societies. Women didn't receive suffrage until August 25th of 1954. This idea then is a challenge to the falsely dichotomized categories with which we have traditionally understood working class life such as masculine/feminine, home/work, east/west, or public/private., As Farnsworth-Alvear, Friedmann-Sanchez, and Duncans work shows, gender also opens a window to understanding womens and mens positions within Colombian society.

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