Sexuality and Sociability in the Rio de la Plata, 1880-1930

1. Sexuality and Sociability in the Rio de la Plata,1880-1930

2. Modern Uruguay and Argentina

3. Buenos Aires

4. Montevideo

5. Rio de la Plata

6. The World of Eroticism and Discipline • Erotic world produced by the presence of prostitutes, cabarets, tango, and white slavery • Disciplinary world produced by religious (Catholic) ideals • Modernization promoted a multi-class world where women reacted to, or against, established norms for their class

7. Linked by Rio de la Plata and Colonial and 19th Century History • Both part of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata until the 19th century • Port rivalry led Uruguayan leaders to break away from Argentina • Both cities experienced intensive European immigration and high levels of urbanization • Both had liberal governments advocating education for females and males

8. How did Social and Sexual Norms Develop? • Part of development of the middle class • Impact of liberal politics • Rise of feminism • Influence of European values, especially French • Impacted by immigration and nearness to world ports

9. Economic Issues • Limited industrialization in both cities • Even less work for women in the countryside • Urban masculinity rates very high • Decent housing expensive and scarce • Presence of bachelors created work for women

10. Patriarchy as a factor • In both countries strong male resistance to female sexual autonomy, but male double standard tolerated • Patriarchal rights rooted in both custom and law • Laws derived from Napoleonic Codes which were very patriarchal, and new codes in Uruguay in 1868 and in Argentina in 1871 gave secular authority for men to be patriarchs

11. Legal examples of patriarchy • Argentine Penal Code 1886 • Crime of rape sorted out by degree of virginity of the woman • Men could evade punishment if both were single and married • Married women could not accuse their husbands of rape [débito marital] • Moral condition of women decided by physicians • Few men convicted if they did not admit guilt

12. The Catholic Church • How important was its disciplinary power for middle-class women? Poor women? • Both states declared civil marriage and divorce early on • While church advocated virginity until marriage, sex for procreation only, and female self-abnegation, how many women obeyed? How can we prove it?

13. Sexual Practices vs. Sexual Laws • High rates of consensual relationships and illegitimate children • In 1923 Buenos Aires averaged 12% illegitimacy and other provincial cities as high as 60%-In Montevideo it was 23% but as high as 78% elsewhere

14. Abortion rates • In Buenos Aires from 1910-19211 in one study 12.8% pregnancies ended in abortion compared to 10% in Paris • Feminist histories of Montevideo make a similar argument for the early 20th century • Uruguayan feminist Paulina Luisi supported abortions for all children conceived “in negative circumstances” • In 1933 Uruguay passed an bill decriminalizing abortion

15. What were women doing that encouraged them to change? • Women in the Rio de la Plata were usually literate, and there were many novels and magazines to read • Middle-class magazines told them of public health information • Poor immigrant women were arriving in search of work

16. In Buenos Aires, two large department stores opened up and catered to women: Harrods and Gath y Chaves Women in Public Spaces

17. Tea Houses of Buenos Aires

18. The reality of prostitution • Both cities had legalized prostitution: • Buenos Aires 1876-no red light district • Montevideo 1880s—these bordellos were limited to specific neighborhoods • During this era, moral reformers called international prostitution “WHITE SLAVERY” • Women registered by nationality—led to belief that cities tolerated white slavery • Pimps were organized by nationality, and, in the case of Jewish pimps, by religion

19. Pictures of Argentine Bordellos, ca. 1935

21. How did religion and nationality get mixed up? • Women registering at Health Dispensaries were asked their nationality • European nations such as Germany, Poland and Russia denied that women claiming these nationalities were, in fact, from that nation. • Instead they claimed the women were Jewesses and thus could not claim national protection • Jewish anti-white slavery groups made same presumptions

22. Were all women endangered by white slavery? • Europeans claimed only “their women” endangered • Uruguayan and Argentine officials claimed “their women” didn’t engage in sexual commerce • Statistics prove otherwise • But how was this used to promote middle-class female morality?

23. Were Latin Americans affected by Victorian morality? • Catholic doctrines viewed women as sexual beings who needed to control their sexuality • Consensual relationships were contrary to Catholic doctrine of virginity except in marriage • Patriarchy supported male sexual freedom but female virtue • Resulted in men viewing female sexuality in class terms:

24. Literary perceptions of middle-class female sexuality • In 1927 Catholic writer Manuel Gálvez wrote “A Very Modern Woman” in which he described the character Quica: • She smoked, danced holding her partner tightly, talked on the phone with male friends and even went out with them; she dressed in a revealing way, read scandalous books, had very advanced moral ideas, enjoyed provocative stories and loved to tell them, she deprecated religion and was the priestess of the cult of flirting.

25. What happened to her? Manuel Galvez

26. Tango Writer Carlos Gardel gave different view of working women

27. Conclusions Who had the more accurate vision of Rio de la Plata women?