Women empowerment in Lima

(Spanish version)

I live in Peru, yet another underdeveloped country in Latin America that struggles with poverty, a dreadful educational system, water scarcity and gender inequality, among other world issues. I must admit that I have not had to endure these problems everyday, as I am one of the few youths with countless commodities in Lima, grand urban capital of my country. However, this position has allowed me to study other aspects of this overly crowded and polluted city that others may not have acknowledged at the present. One of these issues is the role of women in the middle class.

I started my ‘research’ a couple of days ago, watching the sitcom “My Wife and Kids”. The husband, Michael, was with his wife, Jay, in counsel therapy because they were trying to find a solution for their household problems. I found a resemblance with many married women in my city, luckily not with my mother (for this I appreciate her liberal ways). A woman in Lima usually does not face extreme poverty and can afford a maid. Nevertheless, the luxuries she possesses hide the inevitable truth: that she is oppressed by her husband. It may not be visible for other people, as she may hide this with a care-free personality, an apparently successful job or her involvement in her children’s school life.

In my point of view, the main problem is the following: she never brings an income as high as her partner’s. Therefore, when it is time to decide how to spend the monthly budget, what to buy for her kids or where to go during those ‘lovely’ mid-year holidays, what she says is simply a suggestion; never the final word. We are all aware of the importance of money in our society nowadays. Whether it will bring a positive future or not, it is now an obstacle for women in my country, and basically all around the world.

I know this should be the woman’s personal choice and that she decides how to live her life. She may even be quite happy with the way she manages it all. But does this help the country improve? Let’s see: this woman is the main target for household products, food products, clothes, child commercials, fitness ads, talk shows… On the whole, we are all obsessed with what she does. And whatever this is, it is strengthening the sexist remarks she gets.

Blame it on the propaganda, which tries to obsess her with whiter clothes and baby food. Blame it on politicians, who always seem short of female representatives. But do not blame it on her: she is the one that needs help in this revolution. She needs to receive positive input from the media so that she can start to depend on herself and not on somebody else.

I am not asking for the world to change in one day. I most certainly do not suggest murdering all men (as this may seem a possible solution). I only wish to break her free from her chains. She is your equal, not a gadget that complements a man. This is why she deserves to be treated right. She does.

Victoria Maraví
Lima - Perú

Esta obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons.