By Kary Vannice
On October 1st, 2024, Mexico experienced a historic moment – the inauguration of its first female president, a paradigm shift long in the making that started partly with the gun-toting Adelitas and soldaderas (see article by Frances López elsewhere in this issue) who fought alongside men during the Mexican Revolution (1910-±21), but more so because of the fundamental shift in family structures and social norms of the time. Women were presented with opportunity born out of necessity, and they made the most of it.
With the men away waging war, women were not only able but required to break out of their traditional roles as wives and mothers. They became leaders and active participants in political, social, and labor movements. The impacts of the revolution spread far beyond the front lines and bled right down into rural communities, upending their way of life, leaving countless widows and orphans behind, and breaking down social structures. Grassroots, women-led initiatives focused on providing education, healthcare, and social services. They formed mutual aid societies designed specifically to address the needs of women.
Suddenly, women became the primary decision-makers and breadwinners in their homes. They started managing farms, businesses, and household finances, all responsibilities previously considered male domains. If they didn’t have a business to run, they entered the workforce as factory workers in industries like textiles, tobacco, and food production. Other women stepped even deeper into male roles, operating trains, driving vehicles, and working as messengers. These more dangerous jobs were crucial for moving goods, transporting troops, and relaying information to support the war effort. Women serving in these roles defied societal expectations of physical capability and mental fortitude.
As more women advanced in business and industry, they began to exert their influence in labor unions, organizing strikes, leading labor movements, and advocating for workers’ rights. For women to lead public political movements, in both urban and rural areas, was groundbreaking at the time. Many of these women have been lost to history, but one woman, Juana Belén Gutiérrez de Mendoza (1875-1942), a professor, journalist, and outspoken activist who led a national campaign for better wages, safer working conditions, and shorter work hours, remains in the history books as a prominent leader of the feminist movement.
Other feminist leaders, such as Hermila Galindo (1886-1954) and Elvia Carrillo Puerto (1878-1967), seized the political and social chaos of the Revolution to advocate for women’s right to vote, reproductive rights, and access to education, spearheading social movements to secure women’s rights in the long term.
The Revolution led to a nearly decade-long shift in family structures, granting women the financial independence and economic bargaining power to challenge patriarchal norms. Though this period was brief, it was significant for the advancement of women’s rights. Once the war ended, women were expected to return to their traditional roles as wives and mothers, but enough progress had been made to change the Mexican socio-political landscape forever.
The 1917 Constitution instituted new labor laws, including fair wages, reasonable working hours, and safe working conditions. And, more importantly, it specifically addressed women workers, guaranteeing maternity leave and making it illegal to fire a woman for becoming pregnant. New constitutional laws also mandated free schooling for all citizens, improving women’s access to education, particularly in rural areas. Although women did not gain the right to vote until 1953, they had officially become a political force in Mexico, advancing the feminist agenda and bringing attention to gender inequality.
One might think that, now, with a woman seated in the highest office in the land, women have “arrived” at full and total equality with men in Mexico. But if you ask any woman here if that’s the case, you will likely hear sentiments reminiscent of those expressed by feminist leader Hermila Galindo: “I firmly and intensely believe that women deserve a better fate than that which has been bestowed upon them by the legislation of all the eras prior to the present.”
Perhaps with a woman leading the country, what these revolutionary women fought for will finally come to pass.