I don’t know if Bolivians celebrate 8 March as much as they should, but I suspect that it is a day just like any other for most women, whether they live in rural areas, in the city or work in the mines.. This brings many questions to mind: What will our “feminists” do to change this situation? What will the government do to move toward declaring this date a national holiday? What will unions and institutions involved in gender work do? What will women in general do? Although I would like to hear the deafening roar of your voices in the streets and see your flags blazing throughout the country, I fear that no one will even lift a finger or say “I have a voice”. Most Bolivian women, who tend to be unaware of their rights or social and historical roles, will be spending today taking care of their domestic chores, not realizing that their emancipation has to be the fruit of their own labor, at least if they want to have the same rights and responsibilities as men, both at home and in the workplace, including their presence in the government.

Of course, we can’t expect much in a country which, besides remaining underdeveloped and continuing to be plagued by institutional corruption, suffers from the outdated way of thinking that women are inferior for biological reasons or due to physical impediment, rather than blaming socioeconomic factors or the gender stereotyping of women practiced by the ecclesiastic hierarchy in this patriarchal society.

Machismo is obvious in our culture, a culture in which men not only laugh at women’s grievances but where they are used to viewing women as domestic help and childbearing machines. This role traditionally given to women is partly due to the unfair distribution of household chores: women do everything from child rearing to cooking and cleaning. Men, proud of their role as the “breadwinners and head of the household”, consider such activities “women’s work”. Given these attitudes, not much has changed, not even women from wealthy families who call themselves “feminists” while exploiting their hired domestic help by paying them pitiful wages.

This deplorable situation, which is only worsened by outdated ways of thinking, sums up the mistreatment of women inside and outside the home. It is no coincidence that some institutions in our country that monitor women’s well-being have made impassioned calls for the public to demand greater attention from government organizations regarding gender issues. They understand that violence is one of the major obstacles to the country’s development. The government must approve a law that harshly punishes violence and crime against women, not only to give substance to one of the fundamental rights of women – to live without censorship or threats – but also as a means of eliminating all forms of discrimination against women. It is not an easy task, but it is a good start, because the emancipation of women – like social well-being in general – goes hand in hand with socio-economic development and improving the educational system of the country.

We have much to learn from “developed” countries in this and many other domains where women’s rights have been made possible thanks to industrial progress and the inclusion of women in the workforce. Women consider this latter socio-economical advance as an inalienable achievement that allows them to enjoy equal opportunities both inside and outside the home.

In some highly industrialized countries, not only has access to employment been created, but public daycare systems and paternity leave have also been developed. This means women can keep their jobs even after having children. Laws are in place to ensure that women are able to keep their positions when they have a child, that they can take one year of maternity leave paid at ninety percent of their salary, have access to low-cost public daycare and have the right to work half-time until their child reaches six years of age. Despite these significant advances, women have not stopped fighting for greater influence in Congress, equal pay and the same opportunities as their male colleagues.

In Sweden, for example, most women work to earn a living. Men are often more involved in caring for their children than men in other countries. In 1975 free abortions were legalized for all women and in the 1980s the first law was passed banning gender-based discrimination in the workplace, and women no longer had to make the choice between family and career thanks to an extensive social protection and child assistance system. Additionally, since 1994, women have held nearly half of the minister and deputy positions in the country’s parliament. Reaching this level of socio-economic development undeniably required more than just changing norms of how society lived together, but also attitudes and mentalities. State-organized classes on gender equality were offered to members of the government and civil servants, the same individuals who in turn would contribute to building a society based on respect for women’s rights.

In more democratic and equality-driven societies, men know that they should divide domestic chores with their partner. Women do not stand for doing double the work: being employed full-time and being full-time housewives. This simple fact makes them different from women in countries like Bolivia, where much still needs to be done in terms of gender equality and where discrimination against women is still an integral part of a competitive, patriarchal society that does not offer them the same rights or opportunities as men, whether in their social, family or professional lives.

I hope that International Women’s Day will not just be one more holiday, but rather another day of protest. Women have much to criticise, but they also have much to fight for and, above all, much to gain for the future opportunities of their daughters and granddaughters.

Women of Bolivia: it is time to stand up and be heard! It is time to break free of the chains that oppress you, the attitudes that keep you subordinated and the sexist traditions that condemn you to live hidden away between the four walls of your home and deny you the same rights and opportunities as men. As we already know, these men consider themselves to be superior to women because of cultural tradition or divine mandate. It is time to say no! It is time to take a good look inside ourselves, think about what is right and realize that women, our companions from the cradle to the tomb, are as vital as we are in creating a more harmonious and democratic country. This is why I feel that International Women’s Day should be celebrated by men and women, together, and a day when women will be the cord around their executioners’ necks, at least symbolically. It should be a day of protest against the contempt and marginalization of those who have been dominated for centuries.

– Víctor Montoya is a Bolivian writer and currently lives in Stockholm.

Translated from the Spanish by Teri Jones-Villeneuve and Diego BarbanenteEl Día Internacional de la Mujer

 

Original Spanish versión published 03-03-2011