McGill Journal of Political Studies 2014 April, 2014 | Page 50

the Mothers did not acknowledge the
importance of the concept of “motherhood”
in the success of the movement. The goal of
the Mothers was not to eliminate gender
roles linked to maternity but to “[create] a
political role for the values of love and the
caring work associated with maternity36.”
As Bouvard argues, “humanizing political
behaviour is an important thread in the
changes [the Mothers] seek to bring
about37.” Indeed, the centrality of love and
caring was used in contrast to the violence
of the government. While radicalism would
have attracted direct reprisal from the
military, the Mothers’ strategy based on
motherhood made them initially appear
more insignificant38. Furthermore, social
motherhood also brought compassion
from other groups in society as well as
international attention and support39.
Therefore, the Mothers’ strategy was to
act against the militaristic thinking of
the government and, as a consequence,
weakened its support40. Thus, the critics who
claim that Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo
did not constitute a feminist movement did
not take into consideration that the Mothers
came from a less privileged background. The
Mothers saw this strategy as representative
of their situation and as an effective way
to counter the violence perpetrated by the
junta.
Conclusion
After the military coup of 1976, the
government and the Church had been
working together to ensure compliance to
the regime. One way that both institutions
did so was through the emphasis of the
concepts of machismo and marianismo, which
guaranteed that women would not engage
in political activities and remain in the
private sphere under the authority of men.
Ibid, 187.
Ibid, 185.
38
Ibid, 185.
39
Navarro, “The Personal is Political,” 253.
40
Bouvard, Revolutionizing Motherhood, 188.
36
37

50 | McGill Journal of Political Studies 2014

However, when the Mothers went to the
streets to demand information concerning
the whereabouts of their children, they
crossed that boundary and became active
members in the public sphere through
political activism, and were seen as a threat
to both the regime and to the Church.
Furthermore, when the Mothers decided
to openly contest the government like
their children before them by basing their
action on social motherhood, it empowered
women in Argentina in an unprecedented
way, allowing for the introduction of
more women in formal politics and other
organizations. Nevertheless, the Mothers
were still criticized for having openly used
maternity as the symbol of their movement.
Their actions were seen as reinforcing the
traditional roles of women and the sexual
division of labour. Indeed, some argued
that a more radical version of feminism
would have been as effective against the
government and would have had a stronger
impact on expected gender roles in society.
Problematically, these feminist critiques
did not take into consideration the modest
background from which the Mothers came;
one that provided them less freedom and
fewer opportunities than radical middle
class feminists. Despite this, the promotion
of values linked to motherhood, such as love
and caring, was an effective strategy to use in
contrast to the violence perpetrated by the
military. This helped the movement garner
support from the international community
that was able to relate to their cause.
Additional work should contrast Las
Madres de la Plaza de Mayo with a more
radical women’s movement during another
military regime. Indeed, such a study would
provide information regarding which
political strategy is the most effective when
facing a repressive and violent government.
It would additionally give scholars the
opportunity to see if more a radical feminist
movement would trigger more changes
in gender roles and expectations in the
long run. However, comparable women’s

movements from this historical period are
heavily under-researched, which highlights
the importance of Las Madres de la Plaza
de Mayo as an important case study within
Latin American feminist politics.
___________________________________
References

Arditti, Rita. Searching for Life: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the
Disappeared Children of Argentina.
Berkeley: University of California Press,
1999.
Bouvard, Marguerite Guzman. Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza
de Mayo. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly
Resources Inc., 1994.
Craske, Nikki. Women and Politics in Latin
America. New