Working Women in Mexico During the Porfiriato: 1880 – 1910.

             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 of Porfirio Diaz, commonly known as the Porfiriato. Women of every class and background were involved in many diverse undertakings during that period. Vivian Vallens in her book, Working Women in Mexico during the Porfiriato depicted this picture well. She discussed the upper and middle class women briefly so that a rounded view of women"s activities can be understood. Her book concentrated around the theme of Mexican women working in the textile and cigar-making factories from 1880 – 1910. She stressed how their traditional roles went through a great transition in response to the rise of industrialism and the labor policies of the Diaz regime. .

             Prior the Industrial Revolution, women played a direct role in the economy and in the development of society.