Problems In Modern Latin American History Chapter 1 Summary

Within this class we have examined numerous groups within the Latin American Society, but one group that has largely been glossed over until now are Latin American Woman. Chapter 8, titled Women and Social Change, of the book Problems in Modern Latin American History, examines the evolution, or lack thereof, of woman’s rights in today’s Latin America. As the book details, this is a complex issue dating back to the mid 1800’s and stretching over to today’s Latin America. These issues ranged from education to the job force, involving women like Eva Peron and Benedita da Silva.
The first section, titled Women and education, tackles the issue of insufficient educational opportunities for women. One of the major issues that women faced
Eva Peron was the First Lady of Argentina, as she was married to President Juan Peron. There are always two sides to every story, however, and in section 3 author Julie M. Taylor presents two radically different views on Evita. For many, Eva Peron was considered the Lady of Hope, promoting numerous women’s and children’s causes through her foundation. Her goal was to promote traditional values which served to uphold society, and find a way for men and women to coexist in a way that benefitted both sexes. In her personal letters displayed in section 4, Eva displays her humbleness and awareness of her importance in the women’s right movement. She also credits her husband, the President Juan Peron, with supporting her and taking action himself to promote social equality. Eva is widely recognized for helping women become politically active though voting and the Peronist feminist party. However, there is another side of Evita that the book acknowledges, which is referred to as the woman in black myth. Many of her detractors believed that Eva with nothing more than a prostitute that manipulated her way into power by sleeping with her Husband’s regime members, and would imprison or torture anyone who defied her. It has even been stated that “Eva Peron castrated sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally. she dealt with her own underlings by rendering them political eunuchs, and she tortured her opponents with electric shocks that left them impotent.” Instead of giving money to charity, her detractors spread rumors that Eva spent hers and the government’s money on lavish clothes and jewelry for herself. Many believed that Eva’s political efforts were simply done to ensure that her husband would be reelected, and not for the advancement of women. As you can see this was a much different and