Patriarchy In Latin America In The 19th And 20th Century

In the 19th and 20th century, Latin America went through a huge period of progress when it came to gender norms and patriarchy. Prior to this time, the majority of households in Latin America had a very defined patriarchy, with men as protectors and providers. Women who could afford to stay at home usually did , caring for children and tending to the home. However, into the 20th century, we start to see more women not only getting educations, but also seeing the importance of education for their children. While it would be unfair to say that no women in previous centuries did this, it was definitely a lot less normal and more uncommon. The idea of social motherhood became more prevalent, with the community caring for children rather than just the mother. Women of the 1900s even began to get involved in politics
The Brazilian beauty queen Zeze Leone also had to find this balance. She was considered a symbol of modernity, mainly because of her European background, representing the convergence of immigrants to Brazil. She came from a working family, and her mother went to work giving piano lessons when the family was met with financial hardship. However, she was from Sao Paulo, where the women were generally thought to be innocent and respectable because they were focused on their homes and families. The reason she was so successful in the pagenet is because she was thought to be the picture of evolution while still meeting all the qualities of a traditional woman. Again, she is breaking some gender norms, making her own money and earning recognition while still having to align herself with the traditional idea of the patriarchy. Even after she had made money for her family, Leone’s father continued to work, while her mother stayed home. This is a clear cut example of how the traditional patriarchy was clearly present and how even Leone’s actions seemed to reinforce