From the beginning of time, females have been considered the inferior sex. They have been given titles such as, "fragile, delicate, weak..." beings when in fact women have proved that they are certainly equal as men, if not stronger. Child labor is one physical aspect of their strengths that women endure while others constitute taking over the duties of their male counterparts while they fought in the major wars for the country. Yet history hardly gave women credit for their accomplishments in the 19th and early 20th century. When history did give the female sex a voice, it consisted of their participation in the traditional roles cast upon them as wives and then mothers. Outside of this realm, women's activities were considered unusual or accidental. This was certainly the case with Latin America, a complex, diverse, stratified region composed of many different nations.

It seems appropriate at this time to undertake a search of the history of Mexico in order to probe the little known mysteries of the women's actual role in society. My search will revolve around the regime

example, became one of the first states to make secondary education available to women.

of progress. We are now no longer in the error of believing that woman was made only for the

The lower-class women of Mexico faced an entirely different type of change in their pattern of living. The lower class women moved to the urban surroundings to better their economic status with their families. Forced to work in the factories to support their families, these women enlarged their circle of association and this helped them become aware of the communality of the problems faced by working women. This shift had a tremendous impact because the urban life had the effect of broadening their scope and developing their militancy. Working class women began to thrust aside their earlier attitudes of passive submission and became involved in group activities and organizations.

sectors,...Juarez and his associates offered women an education and a chance to work outside the

A number of socialists and anarchists helped give leadership to these early organizations. Their political philosophy stressed, among other points, the need for inclusion of women in all levels of activity. For example, Santiago Villanueva - an anarchist - stressed the theme of women's rights and responsibilities both in Mexican society and within the labor movement. This encouragement allowed women to actively participate in meetings of the labor movement. As a result, women like Carmen Huerta became prominent labor leaders and were elected president of the Congress of workers.

home...and...family. No; our period of progress and that of struggle has opened a wide field

Upper and middle class women found themselves with considerable time on their hands since the new economy assumed the production of many household items. While the upper-class women busied themselves with their looks and entertainment, the middle-class women developed the idea of motherhood as a full-time occupation. These women retreated from their previous roles and public life by totally centering their lives around their husband and children. This change set a pattern of the ideal activities for women being centered around the home and family. Gradually, however, some upper and middle class women found this rather narrow concept of their roles too rigid and restrictive, and they became involved in many activities in order to open educational and occupational opportunities for women.

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Approximate Word count = 1657
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)