Poverty, social movement and women

Abstract

Women’s participation has largely nourished social movements, fundamentally what we call in Mexico “independent (non pro-governmental) popular (poor people) organizations” (IPOs). Therefore, the life of IPOs is due (and we’re not exaggerating) to female participation, which is not restricted to routine activities, but has even included avoiding violent aggressions from government and traditional pro-governmental organizations. However, even if the IPOs are composed to 90% by women, leaders are always males, and women are grass roots, never leaders. “Machismo” is the spirit prevailing in men’s hearts… but also in women’s, who have accepted male leadership because they aren’t secure of their abilities to head their organizations. But also because they have to go on with housekeeping, raising their children and, very importantly, attending to their husbands, who usually don’t agree with their wives’ participation. Women’s struggle for their rights has had an strong international impact, but it seems that the IPOs in Puebla haven’t been penetrated enough by this process in order to go beyond the borders that women have imposed on themselves and in which they are trapped. This article explores some elements concerning the gap between women’s comprehension of their situation and their difficulty to change it.

Key words: gender, organization, poverty.