These women endured extreme hardships in order to fulfill their roles. They often had to live in almost starvation level circumstances, since most of the food had to be given to the battle ready individuals. Often they would toil for hours to find food, dig roots, and other methods to see the fruits of their labor be provided the fighting men. They endured the malnutrition as well as miserable living conditions in order to provide sustenance for the group. Many times they even endured childbearing under inhospitable surroundings (Soto, 44). As nurses, they healed the wounded and endured the contamination of dangerous diseases as well as nursed back to health many of the fallen men during the Revolution. Many of them suffered severe infections and diseases as a result of contact with the sick, many primary records reveal that anywhere from ten to twenty percent of the soldaderas contracted serious illnesses and death from providing care for the wounded and ill (Macias, 121). Ultimately "no army of the revolution fought without women but each organized female participation in a distinct manner" (Resendez, 527). The end result was that the soldaderas endured harsh living conditions in order to carry out their roles for the betterment of the Mexican populist movement.
Soldaderas were not the exclusive domain of the Mexican Revolutionary forces, they were also employed by the Federal army. Women who joined the federal army did so as a response to the great need for their services, and also to accompany their husbands who were often held in bondage for several years under the "volunteer system" of the federal military program (Resendez, 531). Thee camp followers of the Federal army lived a much easier life than those who engaged on the populist side. They were also tasked to supply food and other services to the lower ranks of soldiers, and while they shared the hardships and misfortunes endured on the field, they also had access to more resources as a result of the funding provided by the Federal government. The wives of the federal soldiers chose this life rather than to be left alone for long periods during the dangerous times when kidnappings and rapes commonly occurred. The distinctive lifestyle of the camp followers led to many cultural forces and constant friction as well. There was no sense of real "motivation and unity" among the Federal army soldaderas. Since many of them came because of the opportunity to earn wages as a result of their service, they became very competitive to service higher ranking officers in order to curry favor and gain certain advantages. A certain competition developed among women to "provide a complete food basket with a tablecloth, decorative plates and a vase of flowers for officers and those in the line of command" (Resendes, 530). Other tasks that these camp followers had to engage in were to the care of children as well as the maintenance of the army supplies. The camp followers, like their revolutionary counterparts, also carried out military related activity such as spying on the enemy and smuggling arms from the United States. The Federal army created an entire culture around social group around their military units, many times entire families moved together and the army had as many followers as soldiers. From a military perspective this meant both severe advantages and disadvantages, they were forced to feed more people as well as decrease their mobility, but they also gained more workers and hands to help maintain the upkeep of the army allowing all of the fighting men to focus on the battle.
Women who became part of the soldaderas of the Northern Revolutionary armies led a substantially different life. They also came to be part of the Mexican Revolutionary movement through diverting channels. The Villistas and the Carrancistas both had very strong contingents of Soldaderas. One American journalist described how "three hundred soldaderas were left behind by the Federales after the disastrous battle of Paredon in May 1913" (Whitaker, npg). These women were quickly assimilated into the Villistas army and set up new households with Villa's bachelors. Within three years of the beginning of the Revolution, the northern rebels were especially effective in gathering and utilizing the soldaderas. They were able to rely on them completely for all foraging, cooking, and camping services as well as finding invaluable members of the battle plan through espionage...
However, over the years, history book publishers have not followed suit and described the soladeras in a positive way. For instance, one of Casaola's most well-known photos is of a harried soldadera in a train station. The photograph's saturated colors make the scene deeply emotional and compelling, with a feeling of urgency and dynamic motion. The spontaneity of the picture and transparency of reality provide an historical accuracy and
Gendered Power and Parenting Parenting styles can be incredibly diverse and come in many different ways. Many of us who are parents recognize a lot of the decisions we make as reflections of our own parents. For better or worse, our parenting styles have been greatly influenced by our parents, our culture, and our society. This paper aims to focus on some of the scholarly work that has been done in
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