Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In the aftermath of a multi-class coalition that brought down the despised regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle, the women of Nicaragua believed that the Sandinista victory would bring about a new social order in which the rights and interests of women were both respected and advanced. In this paper, I first describe, in brief detail, the social and economic conditions that women experienced during the Somoza era to show the reader what problems the Sandinistas faced. I then outline the Sandinista reforms and programs designed to improve the lives of women so as to illustrate how Nicaraguan feminists claimed that the government changed laws and created new opportunities yet failed to challenge sensibilities that encouraged discrimination. Out of this perceived failure on the part of the Sandinistas to change basic attitudes toward women, I then explain how attempts to implement a feminist agenda were preempted by national security matters and how these concerns diverted resources away from social programs. In this way, I am able to demonstrate how the growing need for national unity and a strong defense against external enemies forced the Sandinistas to abandon much of their social agenda, including that of the feminists.