In Helen Icken Safa's article, "Women's Social Movements in Latin America," Safa traces the development of the women's social movements from being concerned primarily with practical class issues, to their growing concerns with equality issues. As Safa points out, military authoritarian rule and crashing market economies created particular hardships for the working classes. In response, women mobilized to give voice to their frustration with their current dilemma (p. 229). Although many women in Latin America work, most of the time it is only to help to provide for themselves or their family. As a result, these jobs tend to be low-wage, part-time jobs with little or no fulfillment as a career. Because of this, most women still view themselves as wives and mothers first. Since there is a history of collective action in many of these countries, however, women are bonding together into independent, volunteer organizations or under the auspices of the Catholic Church. In this way, they are given a legitimate way to fight for better conditions for their families as well as political rights for their loved ones who have been arrested under authoritarian military rule (p. 231). Once organized into these women's groups, many women are beginning to understand the need to also fight for women to be employed or represented in government on an equal footing with men (p. 236). As this pull for equality grows, however, a schism has begun develop between those women fighting for practical class issues, and those fighting for feminist concerns. Additionally, as the movement towards feminism increases, other groups, such as the male-oriented labor unions and political organizations and the Church, are feeling their positions threatened (p. 238). Yet, as Safa concludes, important gains are continuing to be made as a result of these women's social movements (p. 238).
What is interesting in a movement like this is t
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