Feminist Movements in Latin America

1
Feminist Movements in Latin America

• Essential Components
• Combination of feminine and feminist ideals
• Groups of middle class or working class women who
  organize for various reasons
• Basic goals
• Reforms of the Civil Code marriage, divorce,
  custody of children, elimination of
  discrimination against illegitimate children (not
  universally supported by all feminists), end
  discriminatory adultery provisions
• Access to education
• Freedom to seek public employment
• Suffrage
• Reproductive rights

2
Motherist Aspects of Feminism

• Women viewed themselves both as individuals and
  part of a family group
• Mothering defined as basic role of women,
  therefore mothers rights should be protected,
  state aid to mothers and children should be
  provided
• Male family members rarely attacked directly by
  feministsstate reform their principal concern
• Protection of childrens rights as important as
  womens rights

3
Feminist Components

• Access to education
• SuffrageWhy less important than
  education? Literacy requirements
• Nature of political systems
• Formation of all female political parties an
  answer for some Argentina (1918) Brazil
  (1910), Chile 1922, 1924), Cuba (1914), Panama,
  (1923)
• Often achieved at the municipal level before
  the national level
• Often obtained in the midst of social and
  political change as in Argentina, Bolivia,
  Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Venezuela
• Sometimes obtained during dictatorships
  Dominican Republic, Nicaragua Paraguay

4
Feminist Movements in Latin America

• Why were reproductive rights so difficult to
  discuss or demand?
• International feminine and feminist connections
• Feminist Congresses 1910 Feminine Congress,
  Buenos Aires
• Pan American Womens Congresses (1922, Chile
  1924, Peru, International Feminine Congress,
  Colombia 1930
• Activities of InterAmerican Womens Commission,
  1930-on
• Activities of Pan American Child Congresses
  1916-on
• Represent Latin Americas First Wave of Feminism

5
Case Studies-Cuba

• Unlike other areas of Latin America, Cuba did not
  win independence until 1898
• Thereafter under the tutelage of the United
  States (Platt Amendment)
• 90 Miles away from the US and a clear
  anti-American feeling existed
• Feminist Movement had a dilemma about how to
  align themselves with the US feminist movement,
  and US feminists were often very wary of Cuban
  feminists

6
Cuban feminists and Cuban independence

• Cuban wars of independence lasted from from 1868
  to 1898
• Caused population growth to become negative
• Women central to independence movements as
  mothers were symbolized also as patriots
• Middle and upper-class women led female offensive
  against the Spanishbecame known as mambises
• These women included Maria Grajales, mother of
  Antonio Maceo, hero of independence
• Thus feminist activities preceded the US
  occupation of Cuba, and women activists were
  defined as nationalist-created womens liberty
  clubs in 1890s
• Women demanded not only the end of slavery but
  also womens rights in 1898

7
Womens Rights after Independence

• Often linked to debates about how Cuba could show
  its modernity
• Independence coincided with increased education
  for middle-class women and more women in paid
  labor force as professionals as well as workers
• First legal battle came over revisions of the
  Civil Code
• 1917 property law gave married women the right to
  administer their own properties
• 1918 Divorce lawno fault divorcevery
  revolutionary

8
Cuban Feminists Mariblanca Sabas Alomá, María
Dolores Machin, Grace Thompson-Seton and Ofelia
Rodríguez Acosta
9
Illegitimacy Rates, Cuba
10
Expansion of Female Literacy to 1943