"Princesas y Guerreras"

"Princesas y Guerreras”
June 12, 2011
By: Gina Roman


A while back, someone sent me this document “The Good ‘Ole days” -
The Good wife’s Guide.
This guide was actually published in a magazine a few years before the Women’s Rights Movement in the U. S. (May 13, 1955).

Back then females worldwide were true warriors and women nowadays have to be very grateful for being able to have more freedom although society’s glass ceiling will always be present in many aspects since the world is reigned by a “macho” society.

When I used to write for “The Lake Chapala Review,” I once interviewed a good friend of mine who has been living in Guadalajara since the early 1960’s and while she narrated all the changes and happenings, I sat silently listening to an endless list of interesting yet unpleasant experiences for women.

Unlike now, women before were not allowed to wear jeans, they couldn’t even vote, there weren’t as many female professionals. Even if they graduated from college they “weren’t allowed” to actually work. They were expected to only be housewives. With this I am not implying that being a housewife isn’t any good, I mean that house work entails several unpaid and unrewarded duties.

Before married women were legally dead in the eyes of the law, they were not allowed to vote, they had to submit to laws when they had no voice in their formation, married women had no property Rights, husbands had legal power over and responsibility for their wives to the extent that they could imprison or beat them without impunity, divorce and child custody laws favored men, giving no rights to women, women had to pay property taxes although they had no representation in the levying of these taxes, most occupations were closed to women and when women did work they were paid ONLY a minimum fraction of what men earned, they were not allowed to enter professions such as medicine or law, women had no means to gain an education since no college or university would accept women students, with only a few exceptions, women were not allowed to participate in the affairs of the church, women were robbed of their self-confidence and self-respect, and were made totally dependent on men.

As much disadvantage as there will always be for us, there are many smart, talented, successful, independent and amazing women who have not let any obstacle threaten or intimidate them and they’ve made a big difference in society
An excellent example of these women is Alma Chavez, (The Woman “The bad guys fear the most.”) Juarez Special Agent who is fighting femicide, drugdealing, violence, etc. in Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua.

There’s also Mariana Juarez, “La Barbie,” a 31 year old Mexican Boxer who comes from a low class family in México City, yet she has never let anything put a halt to her dreams.

There is also the powerful Ana Guevara, a professional runner and Lorena Ochoa, one of the best female golf players.

There are many more successful women all over the world who are a good example to society and more important, to other women warriors.