Women of the Nicaraguan Revolution
During the second half of the 20th century, Nicaragua saw more than its fair share of guerilla movements, of both the Left and Right. Extreme conditions (dictatorship, vicious poverty, foreign intervention) often produced extreme solutions. And women were active participants in the search for solutions in Nicaragua. In the case of the Sandinista guerilla movement of the 1960s and 1970s that would eventually topple the Somoza dictatorship, the role of women is well known. During the course of the Somoza regime, Nicaragua was characterized by a progressively more unequal distribution of resources as peasants were pushed off their land to make room for agro-export production. So many poor farmers were pushed off their land that by 1978, shortly before the overthrow of Somoza, more than three quarters of the economically active population engaged in agriculture could be classified as landless and/or poor (Mason 68). This had the effect of putting downward pressure on wages, especially as the main cash crops (cotton and coffee) were not very labor intensive, except during harvest. Many who had formerly been middle class peasants found that they had become poor peasants, forced to compete for
Though lured by the revolutionary quixotism of a promise that lasted slightly more than a decade, the women of Sandino's Daughters will stand as a monument to all those who yearn to be free. In 1980, AMNLAE hoped that its 25,000 members would "defend the revolution by joining the popular militias; participate in organizations that directed state policy in areas like education, health, supplies, employment and salaries; fight for legal equality and the creation of childcare centers; join the literacy campaign; create health brigades, control contraband and hoarding and encourage productive collectives of women. " One of the ways that AMNLAE sought to put many government policies into practice was through Women's Houses that were built in all the regions of Nicaragua, fifty-two by the early 1990s. In recognition of their role in the guerrilla struggle, women were a central part of that transformation, especially in the early 1980s. AMPRONAC, the women's organization affiliated with the Sandinistas during the guerrilla struggle, changed its name to AMNLAE, and went public. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**Works CitedEnriquez, Laura J. The repression was so bad that it was a crime just to be young. This transformation included legal reform, the expansion of adult education and formal education, the opening of state funded day care centers, the beginning of a campaign against domestic violence, and the nationalization of health care. there wasn't gender consciousness in the guerrilla forces, what there was was an incredible solidarity. Instead of the antagonism between AMPRONAC and the Somocista state, there was cooperation between AMNLAE and the Sandinista state. Too often, AMNLAE played the role of the "submissive wife" of the FSLN (Mason 100). The disruption of family life and the massive entrance of women into the workforce, started many women on a path of community participation that eventually led to participation in the Sandinista struggle. , was, however, a heavy burden on the country. " With the Sandinista's triumphant march into Managua on 19 July 1979, the transformation of Nicaraguan society expanded. But despite the growi!ng misery of the majority, in macroeconomic terms Nicaragua was a success story.
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