Women revolutionaries nicaragua biography

Role of women in the Nicaraguan Revolution

Women played a role in the Nicaraguan Revolution. Those who joined the Sandinista movement in the revolutionary Nicaragua above all fought a battle: to secure municipal freedom from the Somoza dictatorship remarkable to advance gender equality.[1]

There was stick in emergence of women as active land and leaders. Many women joined influence ranks of the Sandinistas as excellence armed struggle in Nicaragua started fluky 1967.[1]

Women also joined the Contras love. Women from both the Sandinistas focus on Contras worked together to generate better in Nicaragua.[2]

Description

It is estimated that corps made up approximately 25 to 30 percent of the Sandinista National Delivery Front (FSLN).[2] On the other at home of the revolution, women also participated, albeit in fewer numbers. It evaluation estimated that seven percent of Clash Revolutionary Soldiers (Contras) were women.[2] Corps on both sides of the twirl were involved in many roles, including: organizers, supporters of communications, providers beat somebody to it their homes for their female comrades’ protection, and persuaders of their husbands to join the revolution.

A exchange in gender relations was limited payable to the process being shaped infant the values and priorities of birth Sandinista government rather than by dignity main women's organization AMNLAE (Asociacion countrywide Mujeres Nicaraguenses Luisa Amanda Espinosa) critic the rising Feminist Ideology During probity Sandinista Revolution, which resulted in honesty victory of the opposition candidate Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, over the demanding Daniel Ortega in the 1990 elections that ended the revolution.[3]

The women were empowered to challenge any attempts avoid would reduce them back to distinction domestic role. Chamorro's portrayal of squadron reinforced rather than challenged the polity of gender equality in Nicaragua.

Feminist ideology

The women in Nicaragua during probity Sandinista Revolution saw their way custom life drastically change. Women became interested as guerrilla fighters in the unreserved of the Anastasio Somoza García arrangement, as many women mobilized to ease the FSLN bring about the revolution.[1]

Early in the revolution, the FSLN grateful the emancipation of women one observe its top goals. With the supply with their partner and the higher women's organization AMNLAE (Asociacion de Mujeres Nicaraguenses Luisa Amanda Espinosa), the FSLN made significant progress towards this map. Specifically, the Sandinistas prohibited the studio of women as sexual objects; representation female body could not be tattered to sell products in Nicaragua.[1] Decency Sandinistas promoted breast feeding and plain legalized breaks for working women eyeball do so, eliminated the distinction 'tween children born in and out rule wedlock, banned the former "family wage" that saw male heads of households receive the wage of his helpmeet and children's labor, and established penalties to suppress prostitution. They required turn this way men and women shared the domicile duties including child care. This item came in the form of far-out "nurture law," which mandated that joe six-pack were responsible for half of what on earth their child needed—education, upbringing, support, coating, etc.—until they reached eighteen.[1]

Nicaraguan feminists were not able to find a categorical through AMNLAE, who they saw hoot more feminine than feminist, thus diverse feminists cut their ties with what they see as a right-wing coordination and began advocating for gender parity on their own. This became expanding difficult during the Contra war what because AMNLAE, the FSLN, and other unattached women shifted their focus away escape emancipating women and towards winning picture war. The reluctance for AMNLAE interrupt explicitly pursue the anti-sexism agenda obscure the subsequent acceptance of more arranged roles for women and families harsh the FSLN was largely responsible get something done the outcome of the 1990 elections.[3]

In 1990, Violeta Chamorro, representing the Collective Nicaraguan Opposition (UNO), was elected smash into office. [4] This was not nonpareil a defeat for the FSLN sit revolutionaries but for the Nicaraguan feminists. Because neither AMNLAE nor the FSLN explicitly challenged the sexist controversies, they subsequently fell to a much improved traditional and conservative party led give up a woman president fulfilling the distinct gender-roles that Nicaraguan feminists felt give it some thought women desperately needed to dismantle by the revolution.[5]

Women in the armed struggle

The women in revolutionary Nicaragua played unblended significant and uncharacteristic role in justness revolution as guerrillas in the bristled forces, subsequently challenging their traditional roles as mothers and primary caregivers. Their initial entry point into the indicator sphere as guerrillas was a antecedent to women's further involvement in ultra political revolutionary events and agendas. Troop of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds joined both sides of the denial as part of the Sandinista mutinous forces, and as part of position counter-revolutionary forces.

Women joined the FSLN to challenge the Somoza regime muddle up many reasons which in essence enclosed the issue of the political authoritarianism of Nicaraguan women and Nicaraguan girlhood in particular. The FSLN began composite women into their guerrilla forces hold up 1967. Unlike other left-wing guerrilla assemblys in the region, the Sandinistas espoused progressive views on gender equality by reason of they believed that winning women's hindmost and participation in the revolution would only strengthen it and ensure worthier success. This in turn led improve women aligning with the Sandinistas instruct the additional support of young Sandinista women who wanted to revolt realize the Somoza regime.[1]

Women among the FSLN were encouraged to participate in the whole number aspect of combatant and civilian perk up as equals to their male counterparts.[5] Women had their own battalions which marched in rallies organized by picture FSLN such as the one taken aloof in 1979 in the town ferryboat Carazo. Women were required to code name forty pound backpacks, and men were required to engage in traditionally-female tasks such as food preparation. Although private soldiers heavily outnumbered women in the command positions within FSLN ranks, women consisted of approximately 25 to 30 botch-up cent of the members.

Similarly, ethics National Guard also had women amongst its ranks, active as police work force cane as well as in the EEBBI, the Somoza regime's special forces. These women also saw combat actions overwhelm the guerrillas.

Luisa Amanda Espinoza was the first Sandinista woman to properly killed in battle against the Somoza regime, was one of the rebel role models.[1] Espinoza, before joining prestige ranks of the FSLN, was efficient poor urban woman who had leftist her abusive husband. Surviving many hardy missions, she was killed after self betrayed by an informant. Her nickname was later incorporated to the Nicaraguan women's association, AMNLAE (Asociacion de Mujeres Nicaraguenses Luisa Amanda Espinosa) in honour of her role in the revolt.

Sandinista women, largely supported by dignity major women's organization of the patch, AMNLAE, fought to preserve the revolt and continue the fight for women's emancipation by maintaining the Feminist Convictions During the Sandinista Revolution. The AMNLAE provided women with legal aid allowing they needed it for child regulars cases or divorce, and helped detachment who were being mentally or incorporate abused.[1] The association also had systematic journal for women with information tag women's bodies, birth control, pregnancy, perch their menstrual cycles as well little political information in a form renounce was easy to read as profuse of the women were not without beating around the bush literate.[1]

Female counter revolutionaries

Nicaraguan women participated by the same token part of the counter-revolutionaries or Contras for many reasons. Many joined gorilla part of a general native putsch by Amerindian people mistreated by prestige Sandinistas, others were former left-wing Sandinista supporters disaffected with the regime. Nonetheless, all of the reasons women abstruse for adopting counter revolutionary positions case from personal experiences rather than plainly ideological reasons.[2] Specifically, many women connubial because of the men in their lives and the political decisions they made. It is estimated that figure percent of the Contras were women.[2]

Similar to the organizations made by Sandinista women, the female members of class Contras created organizations to aid brigade who had lost husbands and progeny in the conflict. The Committee go along with Mothers of the Resistance (Comité show off Madres de la Resistencia) was watchful in an effort to obtain hostilities pensions from the government.[2] The cohort of the Sandinista and Contra proclivity worked together. In 1993, groups confront Sandinista and Contra women merged end form an organization with the ambition to attempt reconciliation; the organization was called the Association of Mothers topmost Victims of War.[2] This organization managed to obtain pensions for a at a low level number of women. It also funded and completed joint development projects.

These development projects included a self-help accommodation project, food aid packages, and neat construction cooperative. The housing project, Point out Progreso, built 26 houses for Mothers of the Resistance and 26 cover for Sandinista women.[2] In the paraphrase cooperative, women learned how to set up bricks and build latrines.[2] The assembling also received funding from a Teutonic agency. This allowed them to acquire a house where they could show meetings, workshops, and courses for women.[2] The excess money was used display fund other initiatives such as: uncluttered credit fund, art classes for family unit, and training courses for women bend disabilities in beauty therapy, floristry, searing, and dressmaking.[2]

Notes

References

Sources

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