In this Chapter Eva Tulene Watt speaks about how health and well-being was taken care of without the use of modern conveniences and going to the doctor’s office for simple aches and pains and the sniffles. Probably the most interesting section of the chapter was the anecdotal that people gave pregnant women in order to keep them safe. Most modern medicine has a lists of Don’ts for pregnancy such as:
• Don’t smoke, do drugs, or drink alcohol
• Don’t eat sushi or raw fish
• Don’t scoop cat liter
• Don’t sit in a hot tub
For the women living around Watt women were told:
• Don’t eat intestines because it will cause the baby to have a long umbilical cord
• Don’t sit around all day and do get up early because if you don’t the baby’s head will be big and flat
• Don’t look at non-human things
• Don’t eat rabbits because your baby will have a split lip
• Don’t look at pictures of monkeys-if you do then your baby’s face will deform
• Don’t go to a dance when you are pregnant
Obviously some of these things are common knowledge to those who receive modern medicine to be untrue. But I think these were guidelines that were to be respected like our own. These people take care of their own selves and usually most of their remedies worked and were respected that why I believe these rules were adhered to by pregnant women and luckily there were coincidences which helped to prove these rules as true.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Women & Change Chapter 4
This chapter titled “Abortion in a Transborder Context” by Norma Ojeda speaks about the issue of abortion for women who live on the U.S.-Mexico border and how they may or may not have reproductive health options. In Mexico abortion is illegal; so many women who may need to have an abortion because they feel this is not the right time in their lives cannot do so in a safe and clean facility. Mexican government only gives 3 exceptions to this law. Women cannot be in trouble or can have an abortion if they had negligent conduct while pregnant, if the pregnancy is the result of a rape or artificial insemination carried out against the woman’s will, or if a therapeutic abortion, where in the option of the attending physician the pregnant woman’s life is in danger unless an abortion is preformed. However, some women (if not most) do not fit this criterion which makes them eligible to either have their child, go the U.S. for an abortion, or have an abortion “in clandestine establishments” which the health department has no idea exists to have an illegal abortion. It is said that the “…Mexican women who wish to have abortion see the border as a space of opportunity to cross over to the other country where they are allowed to decide whether to have an abortion” (57).
I thought that it was interesting that for women seeking abortion or who had an abortion there were many facts such as the age of abortion, age of pregnancy, view and feelings about abortion, motives for abortion and post-abortion. The figure of 53% was given which represents the number of non-Hispanic women who had an abortion before the age of 20, which compared to 49% of Hispanic women who could speak English. I think these high number says how much American culture can affect women who live in these border communities. Another important fact which I extracted from the text that some of the women’s feeling about abortion we that many felt it was a solution to their problem, that it was her right to choose if she wanted to have a baby or not, and some did feel sad or guilty which I feel is very normal. However, I felt it surprised me that many of these women saw it as a solution to a problem. I wonder what kind of problem this could be. Did some not want to be tied to children’s father, could it be the threat of domestic violence, or the lack of finances to take care of a child? What do these feeling say about these women who were thought to not be able to express their own thoughts and feelings because it is a patriarchal society. Just a few thoughts.
I thought that it was interesting that for women seeking abortion or who had an abortion there were many facts such as the age of abortion, age of pregnancy, view and feelings about abortion, motives for abortion and post-abortion. The figure of 53% was given which represents the number of non-Hispanic women who had an abortion before the age of 20, which compared to 49% of Hispanic women who could speak English. I think these high number says how much American culture can affect women who live in these border communities. Another important fact which I extracted from the text that some of the women’s feeling about abortion we that many felt it was a solution to their problem, that it was her right to choose if she wanted to have a baby or not, and some did feel sad or guilty which I feel is very normal. However, I felt it surprised me that many of these women saw it as a solution to a problem. I wonder what kind of problem this could be. Did some not want to be tied to children’s father, could it be the threat of domestic violence, or the lack of finances to take care of a child? What do these feeling say about these women who were thought to not be able to express their own thoughts and feelings because it is a patriarchal society. Just a few thoughts.
Strong Women Stories Ch. 7 & 8
In chapter seven titled “She no Speaks and Other Colonial Constructs of ‘The Traditional Woman’” by Dawn Martin-Hill speaks of the challenges native and indigenous women face such as physical, emotional, sexual, and spiritual abuses women face in their communities and how traditional values and beliefs push them to assume traditional roles and remain silent to these abuses. There was a story the author recalled where a woman’s daughter was raped and the woman wanted to go the authorities so the man could be punished. However, she was “approached by the local Peacekeepers and told not to go to the police” (107). These women who are in situations like this are faced with a sort of catch-22 or a double-edged sword. These women automatically want to go to the authorities and have the person punished and this shows were western thought/protocol has been embedded and influences their culture. The Peacekeepers want to teacher the perpetrator rather than punish and that doesn’t seem to be enough. For the women who know that it isn’t enough they are forced to keep silent (She No Speaks) or be seen in their communities as “Villianous Women” who are there to meddle, manipulate others, and are immoral beings. It becomes a hard for these women and now I see why so many of those traditional roles of native/indigenous women are seen even in Hollywood to be docile and silent. My question is can we recover and re-define these roles? Can tradition be slightly modified and women find their own rights within respects to their communities? Just a few thoughts.
Chapter 8 was titled “Approaching the Fourth Mountain: Native Women and The Ageing Process” by Bonita Lawrence captures the lives of native women and the changes in which they endure from going through the ageing process. I think for many of these women it is hard to negotiate what they feel. These women may feel like they are in their 30’s on the inside but are in fact older. Lawrence says that “we enter our forties are carrying massive burdens. Responsibilities for children, families and communities…” (123).
Possibly the most interesting section in this chapter to me was the chapter about older women and their sexuality. These women are finding as they get older they have less of a desire for sex and they say “ I still have a mouth down there, you know, and it wants to be fed….but you can’t live on sausage all your life” (124). Lawrence says that for women their denial of men sexually is a type of power because these women do not seek to be whole or completed through men sexually. They find completeness in themselves whilst the men go and find younger women to complete themselves sexually. I think many women feel like that and the feeling is beyond communities and ethnic groups.
Chapter 8 was titled “Approaching the Fourth Mountain: Native Women and The Ageing Process” by Bonita Lawrence captures the lives of native women and the changes in which they endure from going through the ageing process. I think for many of these women it is hard to negotiate what they feel. These women may feel like they are in their 30’s on the inside but are in fact older. Lawrence says that “we enter our forties are carrying massive burdens. Responsibilities for children, families and communities…” (123).
Possibly the most interesting section in this chapter to me was the chapter about older women and their sexuality. These women are finding as they get older they have less of a desire for sex and they say “ I still have a mouth down there, you know, and it wants to be fed….but you can’t live on sausage all your life” (124). Lawrence says that for women their denial of men sexually is a type of power because these women do not seek to be whole or completed through men sexually. They find completeness in themselves whilst the men go and find younger women to complete themselves sexually. I think many women feel like that and the feeling is beyond communities and ethnic groups.
Women & Change Chapter 7
Chapter seven titled “Domestic Service and International Networks of Caring Labor” by Doreen J. Mattingly has in-depth interviews from both domestic workers and their employees from San Diego, California where two very important issues are looked at. The first issue looks at the relationship between “social reproduction and women’s migration” (104). This is the further look and critical analysis of how these lower income women migrate to wealthy nations that have demands for these women service workers. The second issue examines the “complex connections” or gender, race/ethnicity, and nationality and how it shapes and is shaped by the institution of domestic servitude.
The general profile of the women and families that seek to employ these domestic workers are usually families that are of a high income, have been to college and/or received a college degree and they employ mostly women to do cooking, cleaning, but sometimes these duties extend further to taking care of the children and posing as nannies. Most of the women interviewed placed an emphasis on time. They don’t have time to do this and that or that employing women for these jobs helps them to save time. However in previous chapters we learned about women’s mobility so I wonder do these families ever think about what it takes for these migrant women to get these jobs locations which I can only imagine is a far distance.
In the section of chapter Immigration, Domestic Work, and Inequality hold description of how these domestic workers and their employers balance their own personal family lives. I thought it was interesting when it is said that most of the employers rely on the migrant and poor, low income women for childcare and the women who are domestic workers rely on relatives that are “poorly paid labor”. Mattingly suggests that these childcare strategies are both connected however, they are interdependent also. It is said that “they strategies these two groups of women use to access additional caring labor also construct and reinforce difference, as evidenced by the way different responsibilities and resources of young women in the two groups of households “ (120). I think that these women may feel that they are totally different however they share some of the same complications of being women who work. Although their experiences may be different, incomes/wages, and living arrangements they should realize how similar they are. I wonder if they even do.
The general profile of the women and families that seek to employ these domestic workers are usually families that are of a high income, have been to college and/or received a college degree and they employ mostly women to do cooking, cleaning, but sometimes these duties extend further to taking care of the children and posing as nannies. Most of the women interviewed placed an emphasis on time. They don’t have time to do this and that or that employing women for these jobs helps them to save time. However in previous chapters we learned about women’s mobility so I wonder do these families ever think about what it takes for these migrant women to get these jobs locations which I can only imagine is a far distance.
In the section of chapter Immigration, Domestic Work, and Inequality hold description of how these domestic workers and their employers balance their own personal family lives. I thought it was interesting when it is said that most of the employers rely on the migrant and poor, low income women for childcare and the women who are domestic workers rely on relatives that are “poorly paid labor”. Mattingly suggests that these childcare strategies are both connected however, they are interdependent also. It is said that “they strategies these two groups of women use to access additional caring labor also construct and reinforce difference, as evidenced by the way different responsibilities and resources of young women in the two groups of households “ (120). I think that these women may feel that they are totally different however they share some of the same complications of being women who work. Although their experiences may be different, incomes/wages, and living arrangements they should realize how similar they are. I wonder if they even do.
Women & Change Chapter 9 & 10
Chapter nine titles of “Styles, Strategies, and Issues of Women Leader at the Border” by Irasema Coronado places its focus upon the types of activist roles that women have played that live or work along Mexico’s northern border, also Coronado explores the reasoning/motivation for women to become activists in their communities by three reason such as their personal function within government and political structure, the creation of civil associations and their ability to work independently.
For these women who are activists it is said that they become activists because of “…pain, anger, and fear” which as been the driving force to them. There are different kinds of motivations for activism. Pain, anger, and fear based activism, need based activism, spiritual/religious, work based, and outsourced workers are some and have been motivations for these women in certain situations. I thought that is was interesting that socio-economic status says how much these women can do as activists. For some of the women who are middle-class they are able to do more such as have their own transportation to go places, and have access to the telephone and computer/internet access. Women who are lower income have to depend on public transportation which increases the time for their daily mobility, and these women also rely on public places like internet cafes to check their internet, and pay phones to make phone calls. For women who are considered wealthy they have “their own private resources to finance and create their own AC’s because they have the financial resources and also are able to garner more resources to create an infrastructure for services delivery” (156).
The point was brought up that class difference is almost a determining factor for how activists interact with each other. It seems that this may give the idea that because of class difference these women do not ever really interact with each other. Also, these women are all fighting different battles. There is no way that women who are wealthy are fighting for the same rights as women who are lower income. However, they may fight for right that are similar like the whole patriarchal control. What do you think that these women are fighting for? Do you believe that it is the same thing?
Chapter ten was titled “Border Women’s NGO’s and Politcal Participation in Baja California” by Silvia Lopez Estrada which gives the reader a critical review of women and their political participation within the non-governmental organizations (NGO’S). For these women they are in NGO’s they are looking for a social change in their own area, they consider themselves to be advocates, but for most in these groups the main item on the agenda seems to be about women taking hold of their reproductive health and domestic violence. The question seems to be for these women in NGO’s is how effective are their efforts? What kind of problems do they run into? It seems that this chapter portrays these women as being the ones who make serious change but I know that change doesn’t come overnight so how long and how much effort do these women have to make in order for change to happen? Just a few thoughts
For these women who are activists it is said that they become activists because of “…pain, anger, and fear” which as been the driving force to them. There are different kinds of motivations for activism. Pain, anger, and fear based activism, need based activism, spiritual/religious, work based, and outsourced workers are some and have been motivations for these women in certain situations. I thought that is was interesting that socio-economic status says how much these women can do as activists. For some of the women who are middle-class they are able to do more such as have their own transportation to go places, and have access to the telephone and computer/internet access. Women who are lower income have to depend on public transportation which increases the time for their daily mobility, and these women also rely on public places like internet cafes to check their internet, and pay phones to make phone calls. For women who are considered wealthy they have “their own private resources to finance and create their own AC’s because they have the financial resources and also are able to garner more resources to create an infrastructure for services delivery” (156).
The point was brought up that class difference is almost a determining factor for how activists interact with each other. It seems that this may give the idea that because of class difference these women do not ever really interact with each other. Also, these women are all fighting different battles. There is no way that women who are wealthy are fighting for the same rights as women who are lower income. However, they may fight for right that are similar like the whole patriarchal control. What do you think that these women are fighting for? Do you believe that it is the same thing?
Chapter ten was titled “Border Women’s NGO’s and Politcal Participation in Baja California” by Silvia Lopez Estrada which gives the reader a critical review of women and their political participation within the non-governmental organizations (NGO’S). For these women they are in NGO’s they are looking for a social change in their own area, they consider themselves to be advocates, but for most in these groups the main item on the agenda seems to be about women taking hold of their reproductive health and domestic violence. The question seems to be for these women in NGO’s is how effective are their efforts? What kind of problems do they run into? It seems that this chapter portrays these women as being the ones who make serious change but I know that change doesn’t come overnight so how long and how much effort do these women have to make in order for change to happen? Just a few thoughts
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