Research Project Women Studies

Not the Standard

        Since the beginning of human history, men have always hold a socially superior position than women. The desire of stability and control has made the creation of a hierarchy where men are at the top and women at the bottom, possible. This patriarchal structure has led to the creation and reinforcement of gender roles in order to separate men from women and form a more docile and functional society. However, when individuals try to break and challenge such controlling ideologies, they are usually punished and/or alienated. These people are constantly criticized and rejected for not following the standards that have been imposed upon them. Nevertheless, our history is full of brave and remarkable individuals who had fought to overcome such imposed gender barriers in order to generate and create change, equality, and a better place to live. Dolores Huerta, a Mexican American woman is an example of an individual who challenged gender and culture roles that were imposed in the 1950’s. Although Dolores was born on 1930, in New Mexico, an era where patriarchal ideologies dominated society, she challenged such culturally imposed ideologies through her active role in politics and civil right movements. She confronted the American standard of living for women as well as the Mexican gender roles that dominated that culture. Dolores Huerta was both a woman and an immigrant, but this didn’t hinder her ability to defend her ideals and go against what was expected of her as a woman; thus, Dolores Huerta became one of the most important faces of the Labor rights movement of the 20th century, who side by side with both man and women, overcame the stereotypical ideologies the culture held for women.

        In the era of the 1950’s a woman was expected to fulfill certain behaviors at home and in public. As mentioned before, those women who were not fulfilling social expectations or not following expected behavior, were alienated from the community and labeled as bad women and mothers. From the beginning, women were supposed to stay at home, learn how to cook, sew, and other home skills. Such skills would later be needed when she became a married woman and mother. Moreover, some of the basic requirements for an appropriate woman in the era was to be a caring mother, a diligent homemaker, and of course, a submissive wife. A caring mother was that which would nurture and educate her children. A diligent homemaker would be a woman who knew basic domestic skills, always keep her house neat and clean, and knew how to cook dinner every day for the entire family. Finally, a submissive wife was that who would never contradict or even have a say in her husband’s affairs, always assuming she did not possessed the intellectual capacity to do so because she was not educated. Furthermore, not only such expectations were reinforced at home, but were often prescribed through TV shows. For example, as TV became popular among American homes, so did a show named “I Love Lucy,” which perpetrates a woman incapable of managing her finances, always in need of help – specifically from her husband, and the cause of her husband’s breakdown (Colorado). Such popular prescribed literature encouraged and facilitated the implementation of this social and cultural expectations in order for a woman to achieve her purpose in life as a mother and a wife. However, Dolores Huerta aspired more, she wanted to do more, she wanted to look beyond those empty imposed behaviors and make radical changes. She did not wanted to be a mere house wife, she wanted to fight for her beliefs, create, and encourage change, equality, and justice. Her goal was to give voice, unite, and represent those who were marginalized and silenced in the community, such as farm workers.

Although social and cultural ideologies such as that of a stay home woman were highly reinforced in Dolores’ era, her desire to contribute and give back to those in need was greater. This can be seen in her tireless efforts and participation as an activist, her role as a cofounder of many Hispanic and Latino organizations, and the many awards she has been recognized with throughout her entire life. Some of her recognitions are highly known not only around the U.S, but around the world as well. Outstanding Labor Leader Award, 1984, United States Presidential Eleanor D. Roosevelt Human Rights Award, 1998, Ladies Home Journal’s “100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century,” are a few of her awards as an activist among many others (National Women’s History Museum). Since an early age, Dolores dreamed big. She did not want to be a house wife and take care of her husbands as media prescribed it, she wanted to obtain an education and pursue a career in public service. In 1955, after she graduated from the University of the Pacific’s Delta Community College, she met a man named Fred Ross while working as an elementary teacher. Fred wanted to organize a Community Service Organization, a group designed to represent and help Latinos in California. Dolores’ devotion to help others immediately surface as she declared in an article titled “Dolores Huerta,” “When I saw all these things they were able to do-bring in health clinics, fight the police-it was like a revelation.” This moment to her was like her epiphany, the realization of the immense power she had in her hands to pursue her truly desire; help those in need. From that moment on, Dolores Huerta became a full-time activist demanding government entities to provide support and assistance to those lacking basic living resources such as exploited and underpaid farm workers which were mostly immigrants from Mexico. Dolores Huerta challenged all those cultural and social ideologies and gender roles about women being confined and only useful at home. She demonstrated her capacities and abilities to generate change and improve the community by providing help and fighting on behalf of those unrepresented groups without any political voice.