HIS159 week 6. Role of women movements in Chile. History Essay

Role of women movements in Chile
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It is critical to understand that women played significant roles in promoting the transitions from the different forms of government in Chile. Ideally, for many years, women in both the right and left end of the political spectrum had abstained from national politics for different reasons, including the lack of opportunities in national politics. Additionally, it is critical to comprehend that women’s movements were mainly formed by the right-wing women and were intended to address and promote the interests of middle-class women, including the right to education, equality before the law, right to vote and participate in politics.
There are several ways through which the lives of women changed under the leadership of Salvador Allende. For instance, the socialist government had implemented policies that only benefited a small portion of the working. Allende’s administration supported gender roles, and women were seen as mothers and wives, and most programs that the government provided were focused on these socially accepted gendered roles. For example, communal laundries were established in neighborhoods and offered working women with a prepared meal to take home (Power, 2000). The government also provided child care services in factories to help working mothers. It is, however, critical to understand that these programs received limited resources, thus limiting the number of women who benefited from them. This ideally shows that Allende’s government failed to challenge the preconceived beliefs that women are basically mothers and wives are only required to take care of their families.
The right-wing women realized opportunities in the political sector that needed change. First, political parties in Chile were dominated by men, and women were mainly left out in political issues that affected the country. The various problems faced by women facilitated their activism, which included holding street demonstrations where they would address the issues that affected them. Ideally, women were against violence ad sectarianism, which was supported by the Allende’s government. Also, women used empty pots and pans to show the signifying the problem of food shortage in the country. The anti-Allende’s opposition supported by women played a significant role in the overthrow of Salvador Allende’s Popular Unity government.
Besides, women’s activism during the period of revolutionary change also remained key in challenging the pre-existing g...