The development of feminism in Chile can be traced back to the mid-19th century. However, the pioneering movement for women started in 1973 during the reign of a dictator called Pinochet. The women’s organization helped in redefining the responsibilities and rights of females in their fight for civil liberty (Winn, 1992). Chilean women became the first to organize the strongest feminist movement in the entire South American region in the history of the 20th century.
The women organized the feminist movement into three main categories based on social class. The first category of the feminist organization was called Club de Senoras. Based in Santiago, it represented wealthy and prosperous women. The second organization that represented the working-class women was known as Consejo Nacional de Mujeres (DÃaz, 2016). The third organization was established for laboring-class women with the objective of improving their education and social conditions.
Chile has been conservative in terms of its social and ecclesiastic development since the early 20th century. The conservative nature of its political ideology would make it difficult for women to rise. However, its education system opened doors for women and that gave them the power to fight for their rights and liberties. The idea of giving women the liberty to attain higher education in Chile started in the mid-19th century. Because of the war between Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, it was difficult to continue with the development of female education. The unbearable social and economic conditions forced women to stay at home. (Winn, 1992)
During the reign of President Balmaceda in the late 19th century, the education sector in Chile was improved and expanded. Under Balmaceda’s administration of the country, the first national high school was established in the year 1890. The country had more than 45 girls’ national schools and two professional schools developed for young women by the mid-1920s. Therefore, women in Chile were more informed than in any other country within the region (DÃaz, 2016). They understood their rights because of their profound intellectual capacity.
Girls who were attending universities in Santiago were cared for by the Consejo Nacional de Mujeres. In addition, the organization helped women who were studying with the necessary resources to achieve their goals. Because of the support feminist organizations provided, more than one thousand young women had completed university education by the early twentieth century. The development of feminism in Chile during those times was scaled by Amanda Hubertson who was the president of the Consejo Nacional (Waylen, 2016). After furthering her education in the United States following the scholarship she was granted by the government, Amanda developed a keen interest in feminist movements.
He would later direct the Read Club of women, which was based in Santiago. The main objective of the club was to help women engage in intellectual issues. As a result, these women developed Consejo Nacional into a progressive movement that could address their needs appropriately. Amanda would later write many volumes of literature about women and the need to develop intellectually. During her time, many periodicals written by women were published in Chile (Waylen, 2016). Women began to be more active socially, economically, and intellectually since the early twentieth century.
Feminism in Chile took a political turn in the early 1920s when a political party called the Progressive Feminist Party was formed. The main objective of the party was to help women gain their rights. It had three main objectives in the political arena. The first goal was to secure voting rights and eligibility of women for public offices (DÃaz, 2016). The second objective was to publish a list of women candidates vying for public offices through the party. The last goal was to establish the ministry of welfare and education with a woman as the executive head. The intention was to protect both women and children by improving their living conditions and education levels. The movement prevailed until the beginning of the Second World War when socioeconomic and political status worsened (Winn, 1992).
In 1990, Chile’s political landscape changed as the new regime created more government positions. These included ministries, secretaries, and parliamentary seats as well as other low-ranking positions. The new government had a greater influence on feminist organizations because of the widespread female militancy (Waylen, 2016). Many women who participated in the feminist organizations also became part of the party militants. Subsequently, professional feminists who worked with the left-wing parties during the dictatorship regime retained their positions after the country had gained democracy (DÃaz, 2016). With the election of a female president in the year 2006, Chilean feminism had reached its peak.
In conclusion, the development of feminism in Chile was exceptional compared to other South American countries. It started in the mid-19th century when the government encouraged education for girls. It can be argued that the liberty for girls to access higher education became the pillar upon which feminism in Chile was developed. Because of their intellectual capacity, many women were able to challenge men and claim their rights and liberties with ease. By attaining university degrees, women had the intellectual capacity to organize themselves into strong activist groups.
References
DÃaz, M. Y. (2016). Enacting motherhood: Time and social change in Chile. Journal of Gender Studies, 1(1), 1-17.
Waylen, G. (2016). Gendering politics, institutions, and the executive: Bachelet in context. Gender, Institutions, and Change in Bachelet’s Chile, 1(2), 13-38
Winn, P. (1992). Americas: The changing face of Latin America and the Caribbean. New York, NY: Pantheon Books.