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Description
This thesis investigates the changing roles of elite women in late nineteenth century Mexico and the way these evolutions of empowerment were perceived by them against the backdrop of class divisions. During the Porfiriato, the period of over thirty years from 1876 to 1910 in which Porfirio Díaz ruled Mexico. His government looked to revitalize the economy and make the country prosper with the help of foreign investments. This influx of foreign capital would change preestablished ideas for elite women who until then only had had one main role, that of mother and protector of the home. During the Porfiriato, society gave this role new importance. The mother was considered crucial in the education of new outstanding citizens who could help Mexico evolve into a developed nation. However, inclusivity ideas regarding a modern role for women could be interpreted as threatening within predisposed roles already in place, making them rethink the spaces they occupied within elite Mexican society. These shifts brought a new awareness to elite women, who wanted their ideas to be heard. Journalism provided elite women a medium in which they could voice their ideas to a wider audience. Within the pages of newspapers such as Las Hijas del Anáhuac, Las Violetas del Anáhuac and El Diario de La Mujer a clear struggle is observed. New ideas offered exciting changes for some but were seen as threatening for others. Empowerment brought on by these ideas could be embraced by a more independent women or redirected to the pre-established role of mother. Struggles between tradition and modernity, ideas of personal growth through education and employment, and resistance towards variations in the role of the mother are clearly seen within the articles found in these newspapers. This thesis uses the ideas presented in these newspapers to explore the reactions of women to changing roles and the ways they expressed their ideas in a public forum. While some women approved changes happening around them, some were content with the classic role of wife and mother. Continuity of these ideas is explored as well as the challenges occurring at the time.
