Rachel in Santiago: ¡Viva La Mujer!

Yesterday I went to a march! And no, I’m not suddenly back in DC. In honor of El Día Internacional de las Mujeres, santiaguinos (and quite a few gringos) went out on the streets and marched for women’s rights.

It was a great experience to see the way another country expresses their voices. What I enjoyed the most about this march was how many MEN were out in the streets! When I’m out supporting women’s rights in the United States I tend to feel like I’m in a pool of lesbians—not the case in Chile (though there were plenty of gay women fighting for their rights too!)! Allison has a theory that it’s because Chilean men love their mothers—and I think her point is valid. While there is still “machismo,” and Catholicism isn’t exactly female friendly, mothers are glorified, and young adults tend to live with their mothers all the way up to 30! While Chile obviously has a long way to go as far as women’s rights, my very limited knowledge leads me to think that when the women fight, their sons will stand with them.

Women’s rights in Chile are such an enigma to me, and it was awesome to get a taste of how some Chileans feel. Abortion is completely illegal here—even in cases of incest, rape, and the mother’s health. As with any country, if you have the money you will find a way around the laws, and the injustice of it disgusts me. While this infuriates me, remembering that Chile was the first Latin American country to elect a woman president is exciting and makes me wonder why the USA is so far behind! I guess just like any country, there is the good and the bad, and we can only strive for the good.

Overall though, I must say that Chile’s level of respect for women has impressed me, and is much better than I expected. I still don’t like being hollered at by every man on the streets here, but I’m happy it’s okay to be an independent and strong woman in Chile!