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. Crdenas, Mauricio and Carlos E. Jurez. For the people of La Chamba, the influence of capitalist expansion is one more example of power in a history of dominance by outsiders. Bergquist, Labor in Latin America, 315. There is a shift in the view of pottery as craft to pottery as commodity, with a parallel shift from rural production to towns as centers of pottery making and a decline in the status of women from primary producers to assistants. The Ceramics of Rquira, Colombia: Gender, Work, and Economic Change. Assets in Intrahousehold Bargaining Among Women Workers in Colombias Cut-flower Industry,, 12:1-2 (2006): 247-269. andPaid Agroindustrial Work and Unpaid Caregiving for Dependents: The Gendered Dialectics between Structure and Agency in Colombia,. 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. Women in Colombian Organizations, 1900-1940: A Study in Changing Gender Roles. Journal of Womens History 2.1 (Spring 1990): 98-119. Bolvar is narrowly interested in union organization, though he does move away from the masses of workers to describe two individual labor leaders. Many men were getting degrees and found jobs that paid higher because of the higher education they received. If success was linked to this manliness, where did women and their labor fit? Green, W. John. The book goes through the Disney movies released in the 1950s and how they reinforced the social norms at the time, including gender norms. Urrutia focuses first on class war and then industrialization as the mitigating factors, and Bergquist uses the development of an export economy. By law subordinate to her husband. Consider making a donation! . Often the story is a reinterpretation after the fact, with events changed to suit the image the storyteller wants to remember. This classification then justifies low pay, if any, for their work. They were interesting and engaging compared to the dry texts like Urrutias, which were full of names, dates, and acronyms that meant little to me once I closed the cover. 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. Since then, men have established workshops, sold their wares to wider markets in a more commercial fashion, and thus have been the primary beneficiaries of the economic development of crafts in Colombia.. Raisin in the Sun: Gender Roles Defied Following the event of World War Two, America during the 1950s was an era of economic prosperity. Both men and women have equal rights and access to opportunities in law. History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience, and Myth. French and James. 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. Women's roles change after World War II as the same women who were once encouraged to work in factories to support the war effort are urged to stay home and . The authors observation that religion is an important factor in the perpetuation of gender roles in Colombia is interesting compared to the other case studies from non-Catholic countries. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2000. Again, the discussion is brief and the reference is the same used by Bergquist. 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. 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.. Women's right to suffrage was granted by Colombian dictator Gustavo Rojas Pinilla in 1954, but had its origins in the 1930s with the struggle of women to acquire full citizenship. The reasoning behind this can be found in the work of Arango, Farnsworth-Alvear, and Keremitsis. Each author relies on the system as a determining factor in workers identity formation and organizational interests, with little attention paid to other elements. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1998. Paid Agroindustrial Work and Unpaid Caregiving for Dependents: The Gendered Dialectics between Structure and Agency in Colombia, 38. The law's main objective was to allow women to administer their properties and not their husbands, male relatives or tutors, as had been the case. This poverty is often the reason young women leave to pursue other paths, erod[ing] the future of the craft., The work of economic anthropologist Greta Friedmann-Sanchez reveals that women in Colombias floriculture industry are pushing the boundaries of sex roles even further than those in the factory setting. Cano is also mentioned only briefly in Urrutias text, one of few indicators of womens involvement in organized labor. Her name is like many others throughout the text: a name with a related significant fact or action but little other biographical or personal information. The author has not explored who the escogedoras were, where they come from, or what their lives were like inside and outside of the workplace. At the same time, others are severely constrained by socio-economic and historical/cultural contexts that limit the possibilities for creative action. They knew how to do screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace, wash and iron, make artificial flowers and fancy candy, and write engagement announcements. There is plenty of material for comparative studies within the country, which will lead to a richer, broader, and more inclusive historiography for Colombia. Most union members were fired and few unions survived., According to Steiner Saether, the economic and social history of Colombia had only begun to be studied with seriousness and professionalism in the 1960s and 1970s., Add to that John D. French and Daniel Jamess assessment that there has been a collective blindness among historians of Latin American labor, that fails to see women and tends to ignore differences amongst the members of the working class in general, and we begin to see that perhaps the historiography of Colombian labor is a late bloomer. While some research has been done within sociology and anthropology, historical research can contribute, too, by showing patterns over time rather than snapshots., It is difficult to know where to draw a line in the timeline of Colombian history. While he spends most of the time on the economic and political aspects, he uses these to emphasize the blending of indigenous forms with those of the Spanish. Duncan, Ronald J. Talking, Fighting, and Flirting: Workers Sociability in, , edited by John D. French and Daniel James. 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. Not only is his analysis interested in these differentiating factors, but he also notes the importance of defining artisan in the Hispanic context,. A 1989 book by sociologists Junsay and Heaton. For example, the blending of forms is apparent in the pottery itself. The Ceramics of Rquira, Colombia: Gender, Work, and Economic Change. Some texts published in the 1980s (such as those by Dawn Keremitsis and Terry Jean Rosenberg) appear to have been ahead of their time, and, along with Tomn, could be considered pioneering work in feminist labor history in Colombia. 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. Gender Roles in Columbia in the 1950s "They knew how to do screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace, wash and iron, make artifical flavors and fancy candy, and write engagement announcements." Men- men are expected to hold up the family, honor is incredibly important in that society. To the extent that . 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. The Rgimen de Capitulaciones Matrimoniales was once again presented in congress in 1932 and approved into Law 28 of 1932. French, John D. and Daniel James. This understanding can be more enlightening within the context of Colombian history than are accounts of names and events. The book begins with the Society of Artisans (, century Colombia, though who they are exactly is not fully explained. The assumption is that there is a nuclear family where the father is the worker who supports the family and the mother cares for the children, who grow up to perpetuate their parents roles in society. Squaring the Circle: Womens Factory Labor, The Gendered Worlds of Latin American Women Workers. Women are included, yet the descriptions of their participation are merely factoids, with no analysis of their influence in a significant cultural or social manner. Death Stalks Colombias Unions.. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. There were few benefits to unionization since the nature of coffee production was such that producers could go for a long time without employees. The move generated a scandal in congress. If, was mainly a product of the coffee zones,, then the role of women should be explored; was involvement a family affair or another incidence of manliness? The supposed homogeneity within Colombian coffee society should be all the more reason to look for other differentiating factors such as gender, age, geography, or industry, and the close attention he speaks of should then include the lives of women and children within this structure, especially the details of their participation and indoctrination. The number of male and female pottery workers in the rural area is nearly equal, but twice as many men as women work in pottery in the urban workshops. In town workshops where there are hired workers, they are generally men. Keremitsis, Dawn. Children today on the other hand might roll out of bed, when provoked to do so . Shows from the 1950s The 1950s nuclear family emerged in the post WWII era, as Americans faced the imminent threat of destruction from their Cold War enemies. As did Farnsworth-Alvear, French and James are careful to remind the reader that subjects are not just informants but story tellers. The historian has to see the context in which the story is told. It is not just an experience that defines who one is, but what one does with that experience. 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. 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. Duncan, Ronald J. Crafts, Capitalism, and Women: The potters of La Chamba, Colombia. These narratives provide a textured who and why for the what of history. Women's infidelity seen as cardinal sin. Cohen, Paul A. war. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1997. , have aided the establishment of workshops and the purchase of equipment primarily for men who are thought to be a better investment.. [15]Up until that point, women who had abortions in this largely Catholic nation faced sentences ranging from 16 to 54 months in prison. The decree passed and was signed by the Liberal government of Alfonso Lpez Pumarejo. Gender Roles in the 1950s: Definition and Overview Gender roles are expectations about behaviors and duties performed by each sex. From Miss . is a comparative study between distinct countries, with Colombia chosen to represent Latin America. 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. Paid 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. This focus is especially apparent in his chapter on Colombia, which concentrates on the coffee sector., Aside from economics, Bergquist incorporates sociology and culture by addressing the ethnically and culturally homogenous agrarian society of Colombia as the basis for an analysis focused on class and politics., In the coffee growing regions the nature of life and work on these farms merits our close attention since therein lies the source of the cultural values and a certain political consciousness that deeply influenced the development of the Colombian labor movement and the modern history of the nation as a whole.. Women in the 1950s. Buy from bookshop.org (affiliate link) Juliet Gardiner is a historian and broadcaster and a former editor of History Today. Unfortunately, they also rely on already existing categories to examine their subjects, which is exactly what French and James say historians should avoid. R. Barranquilla: Dos Tendencias en el Movimiento Obrero, 1900-1950. Memoria y Sociedad (January 2001): 121-128. Arango, Luz G. Mujer, Religin, e Industria: Fabricato, 1923-1982. It is difficult to know where to draw a line in the timeline of Colombian history. 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. Many have come to the realization that the work they do at home should also be valued by others, and thus the experience of paid labor is creating an entirely new worldview among them. This new outlook has not necessarily changed how men and others see the women who work. 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. . 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. Specific Roles. The same pattern exists in the developing world though it is less well-researched. Bergquist also says that the traditional approach to labor that divides it into the two categories, rural (peasant) or industrial (modern proletariat), is inappropriate for Latin America; a better categorization would be to discuss labors role within any export production., This emphasis reveals his work as focused on economic structures. In Garcia Marquez's novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the different roles of men and women in this 1950's Latin American society are prominently displayed by various characters.The named perpetrator of a young bride is murdered to save the honor of the woman and her family. Explaining Confederation: Colombian Unions in the 1980s. Latin American Research Review 25.2 (1990): 115-133. Conflicts between workers were defined in different ways for men and women. Press Esc to cancel. 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. At the same time, citizens began to support the idea of citizenship for women following the example of other countries. Vatican II asked the Catholic Churches around the world to take a more active role in practitioners' quotidian lives. Duncan, Ronald J.Crafts, Capitalism, and Women: The Potters of La Chamba, Colombia. Since women tend to earn less than men, these families, though independent, they are also very poor. A reorientation in the approach to Colombian history may, in fact, help illuminate the proclivity towards drugs and violence in Colombian history in a different and possibly clearer fashion. The authors observation that religion is an important factor in the perpetuation of gender roles in Colombia is interesting compared to the other case studies from non-Catholic countries. Yo recibo mi depsito cada quincena. This roughly translates to, so what if it bothers anyone? Together with Oakley Oral History, Identity Formation, and Working-Class Mobilization. In, Gendered Worlds of Latin American Women Workers, Lpez-Alves, Fernando. The body of work done by Farnsworth-Alvear is meant to add texture and nuance to the history of labor in Latin American cities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992. The data were collected from at least 1000 households chosen at random in Bogot and nearby rural areas. In the space of the factory, these liaisons were less formal than traditional courtships. In the early twentieth century, the Catholic Church in Colombia was critical of industrialists that hired women to work for them. 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. I specifically used the section on Disney's films from the 1950s. The way in which she frames the concept does not take gender as a simple bipolar social model of male and female, but examines the divisions within each category, the areas of overlap between them, and changing definitions over time. The interviews distinguish between mutual flirtations and sexual intimidation. 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. While some research has been done within sociology and anthropology, historical research can contribute, too, by showing patterns over time rather than snapshots.. Male soldiers had just returned home from war to see America "at the summit of the world" (Churchill). The law was named ley sobre Rgimen de Capitulaciones Matrimoniales ("Law about marriage capitulations regime") which was later proposed in congress in December 1930 by Ofelia Uribe as a constitutional reform. Junsay, Alma T. and Tim B. Heaton. "The girls were brought up to be married. The same pattern exists in the developing world though it is less well-researched. Assets in Intrahousehold Bargaining Among Women Workers in Colombias Cut-flower Industry, Feminist Economics, 12:1-2 (2006): 247-269. The value of the labor both as income and a source of self-esteem has superseded the importance of reputation. On December 10, 1934 the Congress of Colombia presented a law to give women the right to study. 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). As a whole, the 1950's children were happier and healthier because they were always doing something that was challenging or social. For example, it is typical in the Western world to. Among men, it's Republicans who more often say they have been discriminated against because of their gender (20% compared with 14% of Democratic men). 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. [10] In 2008, Ley 1257 de 2008, a comprehensive law against violence against women was encted. Gender Roles in the 1950's. Men in the 1950s were often times seen as the "bread-winners," the ones who brought home the income for families and did the work that brought in money. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1997. and, Green, W. John. 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.