| The role of women in colonial Latin
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| | to work in order to survive and pay their
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| America was very much determined by what
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| | tribute tax. Women who appeared in public
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| racial group and social class they were
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| | frequently were suspected of being
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| born into. In her book, The Women of
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| | immoral and lacking in honor. Employment
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| Colonial Latin America, Susan Migden
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| | outside the home was most usually an
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| Socolow identifies additional factors
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| | extension of female duties inside the
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| that caused differences in women's lives.
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| | home; that is, the women worked as
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| These other factors include "demography,
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| | domestic servants, midwifes, "or
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| life cause, spatial variations, local
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| | self-employed washerwomen, candlemakers,
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| economy, norm and reality, and change
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| | laundresses, cleaning women,
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| over time" (Socolow 1).Socolow contends
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| | seamstresses, weavers, embroiderers,
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| that among these additional variables,
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| | nurses, and cooks" (Socolow 119).Although
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| demography was the most important. This
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| | indigenous women were exploited sexually
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| is due to the fact that the "ratio of men
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| | and economically, they did possess some
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| to women could enhance or limit women's
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| | legal rights against abuse, which were
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| choices" (Socolow 2). The experiences of
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| | denied to enslaved women, i.e. African
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| women also changed as they grew older and
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| | women. These women were considered
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| moved into different roles in life, e.g.
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| | property and, as such, had "even less
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| from childhood to marriage to widowhood.
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| | power to resist the sexual advances of
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| The economy of the area where the women
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| | their masters than did Indian women"
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| lived also had an effect on them, since
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| | (Socolow 134). Although there were laws
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| women in a more prosperous area
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| | to protect slaves from abuse, in the few
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| (especially elite women) lived more
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| | instances where a slave woman filed a
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| comfortably than their counterparts in
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| | complaint, it was usually dismissed
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| less affluent areas. Socolow argues that
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| | because the courts "gave precedence to a
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| these women did not always follow the
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| | white man's testimony" (Socolow
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| social ideal of women imposed by the
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| | 134).However, enslaved women did enjoy
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| patriarchal society, and of course there
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| | some rights and privileges. In many
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| were different ideals for each race and
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| | circumstances, they were allowed to sell
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| class of women. And lastly, these ideals
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| | their labor in the towns and keep some of
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| of women, in some instances, changed over
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| | their earnings for themselves. This
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| time.The social ideal for Iberian women,
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| | allowed them the opportunity to save
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| in the Old World and the New, was
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| | money to buy their freedom. Other slave
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| strongly influenced by the Islamic
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| | women could achieve manumission by
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| tradition, which was to keep the females
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| | forming sexual liaisons with their
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| cloistered in the home. Female virginity
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| | owners. Because of these relationships,
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| at the time of marriage also had an
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| | many enslaved women were the heads of the
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| effect on the family's honor and was
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| | households, since paternity for the
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| strictly monitored. This was especially
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| | mulatto offspring was rarely
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| true of the women in the Spanish elite,
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| | acknowledged. Slave women were encouraged
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| although many women did find ways to
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| | to marry by the Spanish crown and the
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| evade their chaperones to meet their
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| | Catholic Church, although most of their
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| lovers, as evidenced by the number of
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| | white owners opposed this since it tended
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| abandoned Spanish children. This
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| | to make selling the slave more difficult.
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| cloistering of Iberian women was both a
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| | However, some slaves did marry but these
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| blessing and curse; while they did not
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| | were usually the slaves of "persons with
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| have freedom to move around as the lower
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| | higher social status" (Socolow 135).The
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| class women did, they did escape the
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| | convents in Latin America offered some
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| social stigma attached to women who did
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| | freedoms for Spanish women during the
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| appear on the streets. Also these Iberian
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| | colonial times. Many elite women whose
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| women were not expected to work, at least
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| | parents did not want to or could not
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| not outside the home. Elite women did no
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| | provide a dowry for her were encouraged
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| work at all, other than supervising the
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| | to become a nun. At this time,
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| work of the household servants and
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| | prospective nuns had to be white and have
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| slaves. Iberian women also benefited from
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| | "purity of blood" (Socolow 94). The
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| laws such as marriage and inheritance
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| | calced convents required a dowry be given
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| laws that were not extended to the other
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| | to the convent to support the woman; poor
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| racial groups and social classes.The role
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| | Spanish women were "given special
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| of women in pre-conquest Latin America
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| | licenses to beg for alms in order to
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| varied according to the ethnic group she
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| | amass the requisite white-veil dowry"
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| belonged to, but many native societies
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| | (Socolow 96).The convent was structured
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| "controlled female sexuality in ways
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| | hierarchically, consisting of black-veil
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| strikingly similar to the Spanish"
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| | nuns (who were the elite women) and
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| (Socolow 19). Unlike Spanish inheritance
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| | white-veil nuns. The discalced convents
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| and property laws, "generally land was
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| | did not require dowries, but did ask for
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| held only by men" but women could own
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| | a "yearly income to support the nun"
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| movable property (Socolow 21). Also like
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| | (Socolow 97). The calced convents allowed
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| the Spanish, indigenous peoples had a
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| | nuns with property to manage their
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| strict sexual division of labor, although
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| | holdings also, which was usually not
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| their views of what was women's and men's
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| | allowed in the outside community. Nuns
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| labor differed from Spaniards, and even
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| | were allowed to have slaves and servants
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| from region to region.After the arrival
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| | in the convents with them. The convents
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| of the Spaniards, the role of indigenous
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| | also had educational opportunities for
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| women changed dramatically. The
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| | women that they were not encouraged to
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| indigenous elite women became attractive
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| | pursue in the colonial society. The
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| marriage candidates to non-elite Spanish
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| | convents became a refuge for women and
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| men, because these women brought
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| | girls "in need of protection, shelter,
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| increased social status and wealth to the
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| | and support regardless of their marital
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| marriage. Elite Spanish men (the ones
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| | state" (Socolow 103). In later times,
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| that participated in the conquest) took
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| | convents designed for other races and
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| indigenous elite women as concubines, but
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| | classes were opened in Latin America,
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| usually did not marry them. Non-elite
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| | despite the opposition of the elite
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| women had a more difficult time as they
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| | Spanish nuns.Many changes occurred during
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| were abused sexually and economically by
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| | these women's lives, but the level of
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| the Spanish conquerors.Mestiza women
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| | change was very closely determined by
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| (those born from Spanish-Indian unions)
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| | what race and class she belonged to.
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| also were potential marriage partners,
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| | During the Enlightenment period in
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| especially those "who inherited from
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| | Europe, the education of women became
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| their conquistador fathers" (Socolow 37).
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| | more popularized. However in colonial
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| Socolow contends that the mestizas'
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| | Latin America, this education was
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| "wealth and perceived social status
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| | confined to elite women and only involved
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| overcame any possible problems associated
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| | education in domestic responsibilities
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| with legitimacy and race" (Socolow 37).
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| | with just enough reading and writing so
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| Many poor mestizas became concubines to
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| | that they could understand their
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| the Spaniards, until Iberian women became
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| | religious studies. The lower classes
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| numerous in Latin America. As Latin
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| | remained largely illiterate.Socolow,
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| America became more settled, the mestiza
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| | Susan Migden. The Women of Colonial Latin
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| women found "their acceptance into
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| | America. Cambridge University Press,
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| Spanish society increasingly difficult"
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| | 2000.Mary Arnold is an author on which
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| (Socolow 38).Unlike Iberian women, most
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| | is a site for Creative Writers.
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| indigenous and mestiza women were forced
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