In the poem Beneath the Shadow of the Freeway by Lorna Dee Cervantes highlights the way women are not given credit for the work they do. We live in a patriarchal society and are taught that women are to be submissive to the men. In one of the stanzas in her poem she talks about how she hears the way women get beat by their partner, and other women say it was her fault for getting beat. This made me feel so angry because we are taught to blame the women for what happened to her, and letting the man slide. In my opinion women should not be blamed for anything because it was not there fault for falling into a bad place. I also do believe that as a woman we should be acknowledged for the work we do because it takes us twice as much to get to the position we are then it does to a man. In the Chicano! PBS Documentary, Quest For A Homeland we are shown the hard work Chicanos did in order to claim their rights in the labor field. Women were also not being credited during that time and there were field workers. The work that Dolores Huerta did was not taken into consideration. This demonstrates how male dominance and patriarchy are highly institutionalized in our society. What are your thoughts in regards to this? Why is it so difficult to credit women for the work they do?
The Chicano Family
CHS 486 – Cal State University Dominguez Hills
Hi Evelyn,
Girl, yes I do agree with your argument and statement. Women do have a significant place I today’s society and women should be acknowledged for all the hard work they do. Women are the only human’s that can reproduce and create a life and many people do not acknowledge that point.
In my belief, people tend to not credit women for the work they do, because we live in a “Man’s World” and “Machismo” is very alive.
Hello Evelyn,
I, too, got angry at the fact that people tend to point fingers at women when the blame should be placed on men. I can see why people have this notion because we have been living in a world that has been male dominant for centuries; however, as we move forward, the fresh minds of our youth today are recognizing that enough is enough. Fortunately, women are beginning to obtain opportunities to let their voices be heard, and men are now slowly being punished for their crimes against women.
This poem reminded me how women can still function in the world without men. It also reminded me how we, as a society, have to start moving away from this machismo and start to create an equal family environment.That being said, I believe in recreating “la familia.” We need to create a new sense of “la familia,” in order to establish women’s independence.
The reason I believe we should do so is because my mother raised my sister, brother, and I on her own for a while when my stepdad got deported back to Guatemala. For about 2 years, my mom held down the fort, and although it was not by choice, I had the opportunity to witness a strong women being able to fulfill the duties of being a mother, along with having the same responsibilities that men typically have in the family. Living under these circumstances, gave me a sense of women empowerment and admiration for all women.
Thank you for sharing your post with us. I could relate to what you said. So, I want to end this post by saying #girlpower.
Hey Evelyn
Society has trouble accepting things that “do not belong” in their eyes. Stereotypes, ideas and beliefs are implemented in the human mind about woman and what it is expected of them, that when different roles are practiced, it is difficult for the dominant group to accept it. Yes, i also agree that women don’t get the credit they deserve for the work they have accomplished. And in a male dominant society it will continue to be difficult for women to get credit.
My thought about how women get blamed even after being victims of domestic violence also makes me very angry. It is never the victims fault. It is stressing how easy it is to blame the victims instead of focusing on the real problem, which is the aggressor.