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Alexa Petit
Mrs. Perri
English 1310
November 22, 2015
Promoting Dora the Explorer, not Consuela the cleaning lady: How young Latinas should be encouraged to explore their options rather than stay home to be housewives.
As the clock reads 4:30 am a Latina mother of four gets up and starts her day. Being the first to get up and the last to go to bed, she irons her husband's clothes, makes his breakfast without thinking about her own, and prepares a lunch for her spouse to take to work. She puts on a full face of make up and begins her day, filled with household chores and warm dinners that need to be ready by the time her children come home. While Latino men are told of hard work and great opportunity, women are told to clean the home, present themselves nicely, and to care for their families. Millions of Latina women are forced to believe that they will amount to nothing more than a housewife because they've been told no different. This example of a binary opposition refutes the idea of equality for all, and presents unjust standards that Latina women must uphold.
From a young age Latina women are taught how to cook and clean. Often times young girls follow their mothers around the house instead of going outside and playing in order to learn how to ’treat’ their husbands. I remember at a very young age receiving a play cooking and cleaning set from my grandmother who grew up in Mexico. My grandmother dropped out of highschool at the age of 15 because her father told her it was no longer a necessity for her to go. Latina girls are often told by family members that their life will consist of being a caretaker and that they should be thankful they don't have to go out and get a job. When my grandfather would go to work, my grandmother would clean the home, trying to make sure it was as presentable as possible. If company is over, many women hastily clean trying to avoid hearing phrases like “¡Quélio” (What a mess!) and “¿Porque no limpiar la cuartro?” (Why didn't you clean the rooms?) from their husbands. Instead of an inherent desire to actually clean for themselves, these women fear the ridicule and judgment of their significant others who should instead be an equal part of cleaning their home. Latinas feel as if they have to get these tasks done out of a sense of obligation, not because they actually want to. They're living a life that's not fair on them in order to please their families.
Often times, Latina women also feel a sense of obligation to always look and present themselves nicely as well. A Latina must always be wearing a full face of makeup and proper clothes that are modest. Latinas are told to dress ‘like a lady’ with nice blouses and skirts any time they’re out in public. My grandmother would refuse to go out or even see anyone without her hair done and her clothes ironed. In order to avoid being deemed as a “Floja” (‘loose’ woman) or a “Huevona” (stupid/lazy woman), these women have to consistently put on makeup, keep their nails trimmed, and dress as formal as possible no matter what the occasion may be. To this day whenever I go out and in a t-shirt, I can hear my grandmother saying “Aye diosmio, es que todo lo que vas a llevar?” (Oh my goodness, is that what you’re going to wear?) She always insists I would change because, in her opinion, how am I supposed to pick up a husband dressed like that? These women have deeply rooted upbringings on dressing as if a young woman is out and looking for a man to marry which is no longer a standard I have chosen to follow by, yet my culture and even my own family tells me I am not right to feel that way. Men are held to no standard on how they should dress while women are held to a strict one. It is harmful to hold women to these perfect expectations that are almost impossible to fill.
Even though the idea of staying at home may seem appealing, there is little time that the average Latina housewife holds for herself. The day is filled with doing her husband and children's laundry, cleaning all rooms and bathrooms, mopping and sweeping all floors, vacuuming if necessary, running any errands or groceries the house may need and making sure dinner is prepared by the time her husband and children are home. This is a 7 day a week occurrence with no other things going on outside of this job. Most women aren't encouraged to go to college or to get a job, but they're told to stay put and help at the house. By denying these women mental exercise they often become bored and unsatisfied with their lives. Latinas are usually confined to their housewife duties and nothing more, they aren't free to pick up hobbies or to go out and try to get schooling. Latina housewives can feel like they’re in a prison but instead of chains and a jail cell they are faced with an ironing board and a crock pot.
I understand that there are women out there who want to be a housewife, women who cannot wait until they are settled down and devote their time to being a caretaker. While there is no problem with choosing to be a housewife, the problem begins when a women has no other option but to be one. Choosing the life of a stay at home mother is perfectly justifiable, but to deny young Latinas of their education and the opportunities that they have so they are only able to be a housewife is completely wrong. Even growing up in my household, my Cuban father never found college as a necessity and if I didn't go there wouldn't be any problem with that because I could find a husband who will support me. I didn’t feel comfortable with that as my option so I fought to attend Texas State, sadly many Latinas still don't even have that opportunity. The archaic societal standards that have been upheld towards Latina women prevents progress from occurring as there is a significant education gap between Latin men and women.
Far too often do I hear jokes about cleaning ladies being Latinas, but the sad truth is that many of these women have not developed on any other skills, so they’re confined to the life of a maid. Instead of keeping women at home to be mothers, they should be encouraged to get an education and a job. With the rules Latin American women must uphold, the world may be missing out on so much potential that can be used positively on this earth. While it may be too late for my grandmother, it’s not too late to show young girls how important an education is and to shy away from the urgency that has been placed on settling down and having children at such a young age. Latinas can grow up to be so much more than just housewives if given the opportunity.