In accordance with International Women's Day, the National Consultancy Center, contracted by the Humanas Corporation--a Colombian human rights and social justice organization--published the results of their Survey of Women's Perspectives on Their Situation and Life Conditions.
The survey was presented to 800 women in 23 municipalities (urban and rural), of varying socioeconomic strata. Leaving aside the question of whether 800 women can truly be a representative sample of a female population of over 20 million, the findings are unsettling at best.
Percentage of Colombian women that feel discriminated against...
•... for their sex: 77%
•... in their place of employment: 92%
•... in politics and political participation: 81%
•... in their sexual freedom: 83%
•... in their family lives: 78%
84% think that Colombia is a sexist/chauvinist country. (The word used is machista, but it doesn't translate directly to English very well.)
18% agree that physical appearance is a key factor in being hired.
The two most significant problems for women at home are:
•Feeling unappreciated for their domestic labors: 34%
•Domestic violence: 32%
This last figure is awfully vague to my eyes. Does it mean that, in their own lives 32% of Colombian women deal with domestic violence? Or that as a problem facing women as a demographic domestic violence is the greatest concern?
This is akin to asking, "What are the worst problems in Colombia?" Personally, I worry about street crime and having my visa revoked, but I think the greatest threats to Colombia as a society are the culture of corruption, impunity for human rights violators and the growing tide of violent crime. Not being specific is poor survey technique.
Meanwhile, according to El Tiempo, only 2% of men share in housework or childcare with their partner; only 13% of men go grocery shopping. (They're a little vague as to where they get this info.)
Disturbing, to say the least. However, 89% of Colombianas say that they feel satisfied with their lives. The question that isn't asked is, "Are you satisfied with your status as a woman in Colombian society?" That seems like a grave oversight to my eyes.
Over three-fourths of women are conscious of their unequal status. The question, then, is what is being done? From my own limited perspective in Bogotá, not a lot. The number of women going to the office in high heels, tight skirts and pantyhose is vastly greater than that of women in sensible pantsuits and flats. If a person does not wish to be judged on physical appearance, one must stop catering to the chauvinistic system--and its individual members--that makes it an unspoken requirement.
I would agree that Colombian women are cognizant of their status as, essentially, second-class citizens. In the words of Marx, all they have left to lose are their chains. To see the injustice that one is subjected to, either overtly or by an invisible system of tacit implications and expectations, and to do nothing is to be an accomplice in one's subjugation. As long as Colombian women accept their place as junior partners, the disparity in gender roles and freedoms will continue unabated. There is no incentive for the chauvinists and the privileged to change without an upset.
Simply put, equality is not a gift nor a concession; it can be neither received nor awarded. It must be asserted. The manners in which to do this are many--I advocate "Un Mes Sin Maquillaje (A Month Without Makeup)" or maybe "To Hell with Heels and Hosiery." Emphasize that a woman's worth has nothing to do with her physical appearance.
At home, a complete housework strike. Dinner? Cook it yourself. Iron your own shirts. Mop the floor if you want it mopped. The best way to make someone appreciate labor is to make them do without it. That is, after all, the whole point of a strike, and it's been working well for the past hundred-some-odd years of the labor movement. (Personally, I find it pathetic that only one in 50 husbands will sweep the floor, wash the dishes or throw a load of whites in the laundry. Did these men live with their mothers until their honeymoon?)
Not that it has been, will be, or should be an easy road. Being a chauvinistic society, support from one's contemporaries and older generations probably won't flow like the spice. In Colombia, "feminist" is equivalent to "ugly man-hating un-marriageable lesbian." However, nothing worth having is easy to obtain, and nothing worth having is ever freely given.
Send lawyers, guns and money,
J.
***Feminism Front Update: For those who love both women's empowerment AND huge honkin' cuddly stuffed animals, check out Squishables. Each month they have a different charity, and they always have a plethora of ridiculously cute, huge stuffed animals. This month, their charity is Dress for Success, a not-for-profit that helps economically disadvantaged women achieve a measure of economic self-sufficiency by providing a professional wardrobe and ongoing career development. Buy a Squishable for someone (including yourself!) and send a photo to HugMe@squishable.com. For every photo they receive, $1 goes to DFS.
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