Week 11 Reflection

Social�Geography Part�4:�Gender�&�Sexuality

Machismo���Marianismo

� Gendering—refers�to�the�socially�produced�nature�of� masculine/feminine�categories � Gender�is�not�a�stable�or�fixed�identity�category,�but�is�constructed�and�

maintained�through�discourse�and�everyday�actions � Geographically�differentiated—produced�through�sociospatial�relations—

changes�over�space�and�time � Ideological�categories

� Machismo—fearless,�authoritarian,�aggressive,�promiscuous � Marianismo—submissive,�selfͲdenial,�humility,�gentle,�kind,�dependent,�

quiet,�devoted�to�family�and�home � Complementarity:�Honor�through�reproduction

Women’s�Issues:�Work � Urban/rural�divide—more�likely�to�work�for�wages�if�

in�urban�area,�but�does�not�account�for�homework � Formal�economy—predominantly�an�extension�of�

traditional�roles�(“caring�professions”) � Paid�20Ͳ40%�less�than�men�even�if�they�have�

better�qualifications/education � Agriculture

� Number�fell�between�1960Ͳ1980�(mechanization),� but�resurgence�with�NTAEs

� Land�reforms/inheritance�demonstrate�gender� bias�that�benefits�men�over�women

� Manufacturing � Maquiladoras—60%�of�workers�are�women—

women�preferred�because�of�perceived�gendered� attributes

� “double�day”—work�outside�home�does�not� guarantee�any�break�on�work�inside�home

Women’s�Issues:�Work

� Economic�Restructuring�– women�and� children�suffer�disproportionately�from� neoliberal�reforms�– budget�cuts�target� “female”�professions,�job�loss,�careͲgiving� more�expensive,�stress�=�domestic�violence,� family�breakdown

� Informal�economy�– much�of�women’s�work� is�located�in�the�informal�economy—has� both�positive�and�negative�aspects � Street�sellers�versus�domestic�workers�

(among�the�most�exploited�and�invisible;� urban�migration�phenomenon)

Women’s�Issues:�Education

� Women’s�literacy—directly�linked�to� decline�in�population�growth

� Class�differences�in�education � Poor:�families�often�focus�scarce�

resources�on�male�children � Middle�class:�½�of�higher�education�

students�are�women

Women’s�Organizations � Generally,�women�have�more�representation�and�leadership�roles�in�the�

informal�political�sphere � Idealized�gender�identity�as�mothers�often�entrepot�for�women’s�action�–

Mother’s�of�the�Plaza�de�Mayo�(but�30%�of�disappeared�were�women) � Often�serves�as�a�consciousnessͲraising�mechanism

� Organized�spaces�for�women’s�collective�reflection�outside�the�home

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Feminism(s)

� Who�set’s�the�agenda�for�“women”? � ‘Woman’�as�a�category�is�symbolic,�and�does�

not�represent�the�diversity�of�women;� women�have�different�positionalities,�and� identities�and�issues�are�complex�and� complicated�by�context

� (Sometimes)�contentious�relationship� between�middle�class�feminism�and�working� class�and�indigenous�women’s�issues

� Indigenous�feminism:�struggles�against� racism,�sexism�and�economic�exploitation� can�and�should�be�complimentary�and� simultaneous�struggles

Women’s�Issues:�Formal�Politics

� Some�leaders�have�used�idealized�gender� identities�to�gain�power � Eva�Peron�(Argentina)—the�shadow�to�the�

figure � Violeta�Barrios�de�Chamorra�(Nicaragua)—

healing�mother�to�unite�her�divided� children

� Gendered�Laws � Discriminatory—ex.,�woman’s�adultery�as�

reason�for�divorce � Emancipatory—ex.,�quotas�for�

representation � Argentina—30%,�Brazil—20%

Masculinities � Like�the�category�‘Woman’�the�category�‘Man’�obscures�the�diversity�of�

men � Ideal�vs.�reality

� ‘Crisis�of�masculinity’�– as�women’s�activities�and�access�to�the�labor� market�widen,�men�are�participating�more�in�domestic�labor�and�child� care;�women�as�breadwinner�challenges�male�identity

Gender�&�Sexuality � Heteronormativity:�social�practices�(ideas�and�

behaviors)�which�act�to�reinforce�the�belief� that�heterosexual�relations�are�the�only�truly� ‘natural’�or�‘normal’�sexuality�and�that�all� other�types�of�sexuality�are�consequently� deviant�or�‘unnatural’

� HeteroͲspace:�in�general,�spaces�are�always� assumed�to�be�heterosexualized � HOW�DOES�THE�ARTICLE�BY�BABB�

EXEMPLIFY�THIS�CONCEPT? � Creating�other�spaces�(material�&�

metaphorical):�classes�at�CAU,�gayͲfriendly� businesses,�community,�parades,�NGOs,� movements�(local,�national,�transnational) � Exclusions:�lesbians�in�public�space—marks�

traditional�spatial�boundaries

*D\�3ULGH��6DR�3DROR

Gendering�Spaces � Spaces�are�gendered�(as�well�as�sexualized�and�racialized) � Physical�spaces�(material)

� La�calle/la�casa � The�nation

� Abstract�spaces�(metaphorical) � Public/private � In/out�of�place � Center/margins � Inclusive/exclusive � The�nation�– how�are�the�gendered�body�and�the�nation�conflated�in�

this�description�of�Cuban�prostitution?