Happy Women's Day, ladies! My time in Latin America has definitely showed me that Women's Day is taken much more seriously down here than it is in the US. When I lived in Chile, Alvaro's dad specifically bought nice presents on March 8th for me and Maia- I think Maia got a notebook, and he got me a nice mug with a Pablo Neruda poem on it, and we all enjoyed a nice meal together. Alvaro's mom called to wish us both a happy Women's Day, and my students in my English classes wished me a happy day as well.
Today, a male classmate sent out a nice email to all of the women classmates, and several people have wished me a happy day. Alvaro brought home apple pie (!) last night, as well as a nice bunch of flowers to brighten up the house, and a much-needed new planner since I left mine in Guayaquil and lost it. He even made special eggs and juice (although admittedly, I'm spoiled- he makes juice every morning!) for breakfast today, and he said some nice things about women's struggles, and why he was proud of me and thought it was important to celebrate Women's Day. He also left early to buy flowers for his lady co-workers. I don't think I've ever seen Int'l Women's Day so celebrated in the US, except at UPS where women's groups would publicize it.
I think that it's especially important to recognize women in Ecuador, where feminist groups are definitely alive and thriving, but where there is less of a history of feminist movements and there is a long history of patriarchy (as there is in almost every country), visualized especially in machismo or excessive masculinity. (Ojo: While I remember learning in my Latin American Identity Politics class with Monica that macho in Nahuatl translates to Spanish as ejemplar (I bet that you can tell that ejemplar means to serve as an example, to immitate- males want to set a non-misogynist example), machismo in Ecuador is definitely associated with male chauvinism.)
I've started to write about machismo in Ecuador several times now, but I've never gotten around to publishing my posts. Machismo definitely exists here- there are large-scale statistics to prove it, and you can see it in small things, like men cat-calling at women on the street, and the unequal balance of home responsibilities, even when women work as well. I wrote to a cocoa producer group asking to meet with their Director, and when he responded he addressed me as a male, calling me "Estimado Michelle" instead of "Estimada". It could be that the name Michelle is uncommon here (or that Michel can be a male name in Italian and French), but I think it stands out that in a male dominated field (cocoa production and sales), he assumed that I was also male. When we finally spoke over the phone, he asked to speak with Michelle, and when I said "con ella" (you're speaking with her), he was obviously befuddled.
Then again, machismo and sexismo exists on a much larger scale as well in Ecuador. There was recently a campaign on the public transit with the phrase "Quiero andar tranquila, calles sin acoso"- roughly translates to "I want to go about my business without being bothered, streets without harrassment". Especially in public places like public transit buses that are often incredibly crowded, it's not uncommon for women to be harassed or groped "accidentally" while standing up. I have a tall, blonde friend who doesn't like to sit by males on buses because they sometimes take advantage of lurches to flail their hands around. One of the phrases associated with the campaign was "Me visto como quiero ¡Exijo respeto"- "I'll dress however I want, I demand respect!" I think that it's super important to remind women that how they dress doesn't matter- no one asks to be felt up on a crowded bus, or to be raped, or to be violently assaulted, and that the final responsibility lies with the person who perpetrated the act, not with the person who chose to dress a certain way. Still, in the comments of this and other articles, many men and women commented that women had an obligation to dress a certain way (modestly) in public to avoid harrassment. Ecuador has a long way to go, although admittedly, the US isn't much better (see: reason behind organizing Slut Walks).
Anyway, those are just a few examples of how Ecuador sees and treats women, although there are many worse. Women in rural areas often aren't given access to education, and are much more likely to stay with abusive partners because they don't have other options. Ecuador has "conversion camps" that recently became infamous internationally for torturing and sexually abusing gays and lesbians. These are just examples that I've seen firsthand (rural women) and that a friend is studying for her thesis (camps)- many more examples exist.
To end on not such a downer note, I have to mention that I have some amazing, feminist Ecuadorian (and non-Ecua) friends down here. While it's not the best place to be a woman, there are people who are fighting for women's inclusion and women's rights who refuse to be pushed to the side. And I'm lucky to have many strong, smart, compassionate women to look up to on both sides of my family, and in Alvaro's family.
Happy Women's Day to Mom and Rach, Nanny and Grandma, Aunt Jacquie, Aunt Merry, and Aunt Janet!
Your posts are always so enlightening. Thank you for sharing this aspect of the culture and for your good wishes. I have to say that I am also very proud of the women in our family from my grandmother who worked with women's rights issues when women were to stay at home (back in the 40s) to my daughters who constantly impress me with their willingness to support, in so many ways, the rights of women (and others that are often discriminated against). You all rock!!
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