The Mother of the Nicaraguans: Doña Violeta and the Uno’s Gender Agenda
Author(s)
Kampwirth, Karen
Abstract
Nicaraguan leader Violeta Barrios de Chamorro’s campaign for the presidency in 1990 used symbolism to promote traditional values and gender roles, in contrast to the Sandinista vision of gender equality. The Chamorro presidency sought to spread these values through education, social services, and an economic policy that has forced a decline in female employment outside the home. However, alliances between laissez-faire conservatives and Sandinista feminists on legislation affecting women reflect a division within the National Opposition Union (UNO) party over gender issues. The continuing work of the Commission on Women in the National Assembly and of grassroots feminist activism points to the survival of the women’s movement despite a conservative political climate.
