Research Assignment- Export Boom

Labors Appropriate to Their Sex: Gender, Labour,

and Politics in Urban Chile, 1900-1930

In the nineteenth century, women in Chile worked hard, however this work was commonly done in their homes and was not for pay or seen by the public. A drastic change to this occurred when the exportation business rapidly grew, and in the early twentieth century, an enormous amount of people moved from their rural homes to urban cities in search of jobs. With so many men moving to these cities, women went as well, and could either depend on men to survive, or depend on themselves obtain one of the many jobs that the export boom had made possible. With countless of these jobs taking place in factories, this is here most of the woman went to work, as employers usually preferred to hire them as woman and children would work for a considerably lower pay than men. Though there were numerous jobs, and to be employed was not extremely difficult, the poor conditions and low wages caused many woman to constantly be looking for new jobs, creating an unstable work environment. Another factor which effected the jobs women had was their limited hours of availability, as many had families, creating domestic duties which they needed to make time for as well as work in factories’ in order to help provide for their families. Though the workforce was changing expeditiously, the differences between the role of men and women remained uncompromising, and these differences in roles remained steadfast. These gender divisions remained, and included the unspoken lesser value of women’s labor over men’s, and therefore the phrase “Labour appropriate to their sex” unfortunately became commonly used when discussing the jobs of women. The fact that most of these women had domestic duties as well illuminates on this phrase, as they were participating in the workforce, but they still were completing their traditional duties.

This low value attached to the work which women performed was challenged by Laura Rose Zelada, who also went by the name of Honorio Cortes. This was a woman in the early twentieth century who disguised herself as a man with the intention of creating a better life for herself as she was fully aware that men obtained higher paying jobs then women. Though she was arrested when caught for her actions, she was released quite quickly, as she had committed no crime. This created heavy press and attention, which was more positive than it was negative. It caused people all throughout Chile to sympathize with the burdens women in the workforce had to overcome, especially when a woman had managed to dress as man and perform jobs to same ability as any other man.

Women disguising themselves as men is not a new phenomenon, as this has happened numerous times in history, with a certain case being Catalina de Erauso, who disguised herself as a man and then became transgender. The fact that women have felt so trapped in their traditional roles that they have had to make the drastic actions of changing who they are to the public is concerning, especially when it has been over such a large time period as well as all over the world. 

Hutchison, Elizabeth Quay. (2001) Labours Appropriate to Their Sex: Gender, Labours, and Politics in Urban Chile, 1900-1930. Durham, NC: Duke University Press Books: 19-36

Dulcinea in the Factory: Myths, Morals, Men and Women in Colombia's Industrial Experiment, 1905-1960

Strikes in Colombia in the 1930’s were a result of the dramatic social crisis, and these strikes were occurring in such an abundant amount, as well as places one would not typically expect a workers strike to occur. Owners of companies often believed these strikes to be caused by outside influences hoping to cause trouble, or even by the president at the time, Alfonso Lopez Pumarejo, as he had been wanting change. However, the actual workers complaints had little to do with any political parties. These strikes affected every worker differently, as well as meant different things to each person.    

There were many changes in the politics of Colombia in this time, a reason for this may possibly have been a result of the country being slower to make political changes in the twentieth century, and took up until the 1930’s for major changes to occur in the political party which controlled Colombia. Another reason may have been the enormous debt they found themselves in, since after the growing exportation business brought the country so much money, they lost control and borrowed more than they could actually afford. This expansion of the economy allowed the works to be more demanding, with the main requirement being receiving increase of pay, as well as more job stability, and even paid vacation time. When wishes were not granted, huge amounts of strikes began, one of the most concerning being the banana workers strike whom worked for the United Fruit Company. Some of these strikes managed to look past gender, and the men from all male union actually relied on women, which allowed these women to voice their demands in the strikes. These strikes affected every worker differently, as well as meant different things to each person.    

Maria Elisa was a textile worker at this time who had actually left a previous job due to low pay, and therefore understood the 1935 strike, as the people were insisting on receiving higher pay. However, the acts of violence made the strike a bitter memory for her. The women strikers effected Maria Elisa heavily, as the chaos they created included throwing rocks at other women who were not participating in the strike. In her opinion, a person who had little economic blessings would have the most success by having a positive relationship for the company in which they work for and remain loyal to it.

Workers strikes can insure better condition for workers themselves of they feel they are being treated unfairly, but strikes can not only cause a broken relationship between the workers and the company, but they also greatly impact those not involved in the companies or businesses. When the two sides are being equally stubborn, the workers refusing to work and the greater power refusing to give the worker what they want, strikes can last much longer than they need to, which negatively impacts the public. This was seen recently here in British Columbia in the B.C. teachers strike, where students lost a great deal of the time which would normally be dedicated to their studies.

Farnworth-Alvear, Ann. (2000). Dulcinea in the Factory: Myths, Morals, Men and Women in Colombia's Industrial Experiment, 1905-1960. Duke University Press :123-148