WEEK10-Film Analysis: The Suffragists (Las sufragistas). History Essay

WEEK10-Film Analysis: The Suffragists (Las sufragistas)
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Throughout the quarter we have examined how politics and economic transformation have shaped women’s experiences in Latin America and how women have organized & adapted in response to changing conditions. Analyze the film in relation to our larger course themes and connect your reflection to at least one assigned reading for this course.
The Suffragists (Las sufragistas) is a film that focuses on the political struggles for women in Mexico and especially indigenous women such as Eufrosina Cruz the subject of the documentary in her quest for political power and decision making. There is under-representation and even the marginalization of women in political life in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. In the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1920 targeting the Diaz dictatorship, there were different political movements including those that agitated for women’s political rights (Cruz, 2012). Gender differences in socialization partly explain the low participation of women in politics, as the structural barriers limit access to power and the decision-making bodies, despite increased female political activism.
Suffragists played a prominent role in increasing female representation in the political process from voting to being political leaders, but have faced numerous challenges and attempts to limit their rights and freedoms. Eufrosina Cruz ran for the run as for a municipal president position in 2008 but was denied the opportunity as the Zapote community customary laws did not allow women participation in the electoral process (Cruz, 2012). Indigenous communities in Mexico have the right to govern themselves including following customs such as preventing indigenous women from voting among local communities in the state of Oaxaca. For Eufrosina Cruz who was first barred from standing for a political position but then stood and became a representative, local customs and laws were used as the pretext to deny women the right to vote despite there being women suffrage in Mexico.
The lack access to political representation positions among i...