Mujeres and Gender Roles

Gender and Las Mujeres de Chile (Chilean Women)

Gender roles and machismo are very much still present through Latin America. In this blog I will be discussing gender roles and the women roles in Chile. The women of Chile have faced economic/political conflicts or issues as well as poverty. As women they unite and organized to cope with these issues. In the past and present this is very much the reality of women in Latin America; this oppression has led to women (regardless of class) social movements. Feminism had an uprising in Latin America.


                  More facts of Chilean Women:
- The women of Chile were among the first to be able to get access to education and a preofessional career.
- They were the first in Latin America to be admitted to universities
- The first female doctor was in Latin America was from Chile.
Unfortunatly due to Machismo these women could be professionals, yet could not work in their field.
Winn. Peter. Americas: The Changeing Face of the Americas.

    1st Feminist Organization: MEMCH
MEMCH-- Movement for the Emancipation of Chilean Women  this became Chile's first feminist group during the 1930's. This org. showed and represented the suffrage of women in the country. Women joined the cause but the fire died down soon.

Work Force: Fruit Industry

Chile is know for it's talented musicians and music, wine and fruit. Chile's fruit industry grew the demand of labor grew: the expansion of women employment grew. The demand of the fruit led to the seasonal and cheap employment of women. Chile had major chances occurred in its countryside. Oppression of women was not just that of a patriarchal culture but as well as social exclusions and inequalities that disadvantaged women of economic growth.

During the dictatorship women were brought to the forefront of the economy due to the demand of labour in the fruit indistry. These women were working and my working in the fruit industry these women were able to gain authority in their homes. Although, these women worked in hard working conditions, this is not what gave women power; what gave these women power was being being able to work and have a salary similar to that of men. In 2011 there was an interview with the AMAURI (Asociacion National de Mujeres Rurales e Indigenas) women whom worked in the fruit industry and has led to gender emancipation in Chile.

http://www.ufjf.br/revistaipotesi/files/2011/05/09-Temporeras-and-shifting-gender-Ipotesi_16.1.pdf

Chilenas During the Dictatorship
      The beginning of a tragedy

 

The military wanted women to embrace their traditional household/gender roles. They wanted women to focus on being homemakers and take care of the family rather than to become politically active. Poverty often forced women to join a Pro-democracy groups. Soon women began joining social movements to fight for women rights. Many women began to joining protest.

During the dictatorship of Pinochet women of Chile shared a common experiences on being political repression. These women create tapestries that showed the brutality during the dictatorship and the many disappearing bodies; these tapestries are known as arpilleras.These arpilleras symbolized women's protest against the dictatorship, and had a great influence in Chile and internationally. These tapestries were able to preserve the memories of those whom had disappeared, poverty, crime,and unemployment that Pinochets dictatorship had brought about. These arpilleras were able to empower these women politically and they were able to challenge Machismo, they began to claim and establish more roles for women.

They began to form arpillera workshops in which consisted of women and 80% of these women were poor/working class, and the rest of then from the middle class. The apilleras were made for everyday survival. Since many of the woman's husbands went missing and or murdered, these women had to support their families.
 

http://www.cetri.be/spip.php?article911

Che= People, Mapu=of the land= MAPUCHE

Che= People- Mapu= of the land: MAPUCHE

The Mapuche are desendants of the Araucunians.

The Mapuche people are the largest indigenous a group in Chile.

The Mapuche people constitute about 10% (1.000.000) of the Chilean population. Half of the Mapuche live in the southern Chile( Bio-Bio River); the other half live in Chile's capital—Santiago and about 300.000 live in Argentina. Geographically the Mapuche call themselves different names.

History of the Araucanians and Indigenous Resistance

As mentioned the Mapuche currently make up about 10% of Chilean population this is due to thier heroic past. The Araucanians “...who stopped the Spanish at the Bio-Bio River and who defeated and killed Pedro Vladivia at the time of the conquest”(Becoming Indian in Lowland South America). Their chief warrior became a Chilean hero. This warrior is remembered for his resistance to the white men. Due to Chiles colonial history led to the oppression of the Araucanian people. They were resistant and this resistance led them to their independence and being able to spread into the pampas of Argentina.

By the 19^th century settlers were taking the Mapuche land. The loss of their land led the Mapuche to resist and up rise. In 1869 Chilean army defeated the Mapuche; their was a massacre of Indians and their villages were being destroyed. In 1880 they resisted again and defeated in 1882.

Indians were now being targeted for everything and anything, if accused of anything they could be killed. ^th century the Mapuche were trying to survive and continued to keep their traditions and cutures alive. By 1939 the Mapuche living condition kept worsening, but the Mapuche were organizing with other groups as well. Allende in 1970 also tried to speed the process of latifundias so that the Mapuche could gain land back. However, after Pinochets coup took out Allende in 1973 the Mapuche suffered greatly. Many of the Mapuche were killed by the regime. By 1978 the Mapuhe once again organized to attempted to stop a law that would allow for the division of lands again. The Mapuche are people whom fought for the land that was taken form them. They did not give up against the white men unfortunately due to economic circumstances that the Mapuche lost most of their land.

They lost their land in 1882 and by 1886 remaining Mapuche were sent to poor land. By 1927 Chilean government made a plan of land division that would be given to the remainder of the Mapuche. By the 20

Current Issues:

Environmental:

• Mapuche land have been poorly used. The environmental has led to Mapuche activism.

Economic:

• the main source of income is through agriculture. Farming, and cattle rising.
• About 3% have moved to urban cities with little education.

No recognition by the Chilean government. As well as discrimination towards the Mapuche do to anti-terrorism laws created by Pinochet

<---------Anti-terrorism law. Oppression of the last 500years and Mapuche resistance.

 .

<----Chilean Mapuche's  persevere lingustics through hip-hop.

Language and Culture: Mapudungun

• was first written down by missionaries and orthographic systems so in results the written language and alphabet is different.
• Mapudungun is also known as Araucano, name given my the Spanish.
• 700,000 speakers Other results report approximately 240,000 speakers, with 200,000 in the Central Valley of Chile and 40,000 in several Argentine provinces, where some 150,000 people use the language regularly

Religion:

• spirituality and connection between land, man and nature.
• Neither man nor animal could live without the great spirit
• They are very religious. The “establish a new dimension of what is religious in a syncretism that includes the catholic religion as well as protestant evangelic movements/”
  
  
  Citations
  http://www.mapuche-nation.org/english/main/feature/m_nation.htm 
  http://www.unpo.org/members/7895 
  Lewis, Davis. Becoming Indian in Lowland South  America

Religion in Chile

Pinochet and Pope John Paul II

Religion in Chile

Since the beginning of the Conquest and Colonization in the New World was justified by the oppressor/ conquistadors in the name of religion to humanize the native peoples and colonize. The influence of the Church is still very present in Latin America, although it has had an increase of people converting to other forms of belief systems. In Chile the official church for many years was the Roman Catholic Church until the late 19^th century. Freedom of religion is allowed, however the influence of the Catholic Church is very much still present in the country: divorce was legalized in 2004 which is still fairly recent.

About 70% of Chileans are Catholic.

Like other pueblos, cities or villages in Latin America, Chile's cities have large Catholic churches in the main plazas or side of the roads.

    Pope visits Chile: In 1987, Pope Paul II visited Chile during Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. The Pope's visit to Chile sparked controversy. Those in favor to return in favor of the a democratic Chile wanted the Pope to join their side and endorse their cause, and speak against Pinochet human rights violations and regime. Church leaders believed that the Pope would give Pinochet a hard time about this political power. Others believed that no matter what the Pope told him, Pinochet, would not listen to him—he did not listen to anyone. Ultimately, the church believed that that pope's presence in Chile would help decrease the political power.

Pinochet and the pope were to meet in La Modena a government house. However, Pinochet would not be attending mass. Chilean government refused to give news coverage. After this incedent, the bishop critized the government; the governemt protested in the Vatican in regards to the Pope's statement.

Ultimately, the Catholic Church was an import part of defending human rights in Chile since the military and Pinochet came into power.

More on Chiles Religion:

Chile's Patron Saint: Padre Hurtado 

Saint Albertro Hurtado is known as Padre Hurtado, he is the most known saint. His life was dedicated to helping, housing and caring for poor children.

Evangelicals or evangelicos are Chile's church goers. They are the most lively group. You can hear music and celebrations.

Mormons:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day-Saint is a Christian religion growing quickly in Chile. There are churches along the country and walking distance of Santiago.

Non-Christians:

There are very few Jews, Muslims and other religions in Chile.

8% of Chileans are agnostic. Chile's first female president described herself as agnostic.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-03-28/features/8701200187_1_pope-john-paul-chile-president-augusto-pinochet
 

Introduction of Chile

 Geography...
- Chile is located South of Peru and West of Bolivia and Argentina.
-Chile is a narrow strip of land that stretches 2,880 miles, between the Andes and the Pacific.
-Chile is also home to the driest place on Earth--Atacama Desert
- and in the center is a 700-mile-long thickly populated valley with most of Chile's arable land.

Map of Chile

Land area: 289,112 sq mi (748,800 sq km); total area: 292,260 sq mi (756,950 sq km)

Atacama Desert

                Population: (2012 est.): 17,067,396 (growth rate: 0.88%); birth rate: 14.28/1000; infant mortality rate: 7.36/1000; life expectancy: 78.1; density per sq km: 21

 Language:         Chile's official language is Spanish. However, there are other languages spoken in Chile as well: Aymara, Chilean Sign Language, Huilliche, Kakauhua, Kunza, Mapudungun,Qawasqar, Quechua, Chilean, Rapa Nui, Yamana and in some areas German is spoken as well. 

Mapuche peoples (language, Mapudungun)

Huilliche peoples

 Purpose of this Blog.....

     During this semester I hope to learn as much as possible on Chile. I took a history class of Latin American before and got really interested in Chile, more specifically the Chile Revolution and the modern Social revolution movements that are occurring in Chile. In this blog, I will also focus on Chilean culture and hopefully in its people as well. I am excited to learn hear input from you all and am looking forward to reading you all's blog as well. 

                       Virtual Tour of Chile in 7 minutes