BETWEEN LIGHTS AND SHADOWS
Rural women from Santander
Diana cleans the cocoa plants one afternoon at work.
Diana cleans the cocoa plants one afternoon at work.
Kendy, a representative of the municipality's Rural Youth Board, places the firewood in a traditional rural kitchen.
Kendy, a representative of the municipality's Rural Youth Board, places the firewood in a traditional rural kitchen.
Victoria and her grandmother Isolina show the hiding place of a duck and her eggs.
Victoria and her grandmother Isolina show the hiding place of a duck and her eggs.
"Once a man told me I was a tomboy because I worked in the crops and did the work men usually do,” remarked Diana Aguilar while cleaning cocoa plants in a village near San Vicente de Chucurí.
Rural women in Colombia have faced inequalities in many areas of their lives: the remuneration of their work, lack of educational opportunities, and multiple difficulties in getting a decent income. However, they have insisted on their struggles for gender equality: they see themselves as defenders of their territory, proud of their identity, and capable of reducing the gaps that separate them from the rest of the population.
According to Law 731, 2002, a rural woman is "anyone whose productive activity is directly related to rurality, even if that activity is not recognized by the systems of information and measurement of the State or is not remunerated.” Also, according to DANE (the National Department of Statistics), 47.1% of the rural areas in Santander are inhabited by women. The stories of Isolina Rueda, Sandra Díaz, Marina Rugeles, Esperanza Gómez, Diana Aguilar, and Raquel Caballero draw a picture of rural women in Santander, a beautiful image bathed by lights and shadows.
The work
Marina Rugeles is cleaning her house in preparation for the new area she and her husband are building. While her husband spreads the cement, Marina and her daughter clean the dining room, the kitchen, the plants… Marina loves the countryside, the tranquility of her house… She is very excited about the new construction. Despite feeling happy, she remembers moments in her life when she felt nobody appreciated her work:
"They used to ask me, 'Oh, what did you do today? You didn't do anything.'"
She admits she prefers to work as a blue-collar worker than do the house chores. At least, sometimes, she is paid better for that work. At home, she gets nothing for doing the laundry, cooking, and cleaning. Not a particular story. Women from urban areas also face this reality. Nevertheless, the alarm rings loud when, according to DANE, 49.3% of the people living in rural areas agree that a man must earn money and a woman's duty is to care for the home and the family.
It is not that Marina's family does not value her work at home. They do. The thing is that rural women are more exposed to the negative experience of being undervalued due to the gender inequalities persisting in rural areas.
Anthropologist Óscar Rueda explains why these social representations have been historically legitimized:
"The distribution of work in the countryside has nothing to do with physical or intellectual abilities. It has to do with the fact that men almost always assume the most profitable activities. In contrast, the least valued activities, economically and socially, are assumed by women.”
But it is not only the housework that is underestimated. Women who work in the crops have to put up with a similar reality.
Sweat slips down Diana Aguilar`s face. As she walks, she tells about her routine, the same routine of any rural woman in this part of the country:
“I get up at four in the morning, I make breakfast for my children and the workers and, after that, I start working with them. I work until twelve because my children have lunch at home. Then I go back to work again until five. My daughter helps me with the food. Then, I help her serve the food to the workers. If I don't have cracked firewood, I crack it. And if I have firewood, I cut the grass, pick cocoa beans, put pots and pans where they belong, and clean cocoa plants.”
Diana, the mother of four children, climbs to the top of the cocoa plantation without apparent physical effort. She prepares for the work she has to do with her hair tied up and tells about the many snakes she has hopefully dodged. She is the only woman among four men: her husband, her brother, her son, and another worker who is not family.
Seeing a woman battling, climbing trees to get avocados or tangerines, or, as they say, “cleaning” the bush, has become common where she lives, but the remuneration for the work differs from what men get.
Diana, who has been working in the countryside for over thirty years, remembers struggling to earn her first wage as a child. Today, she only thinks about her children: "When you don't love your children, it is easier, but I adore them, and I have to work every day to get what they need. [...] All I earn here is for my children…”
Historically, the role of caring for the home and the children has been assigned to women.
The inequitable remuneration of work is just another problem. Although in the case of Diana, she can earn the same as her male colleagues, the reality is that by 2021, according to DANE, 92.9% of the work of rural women at the national level was not paid. On top of this, many rural women, like Diana, are discriminated against for doing “the work men should do” in the crops.
So, rural women, either because of their social status or their taste for farm work, find themselves immersed in scenarios of ingratitude, inequality, and discrimination for what they do. And, as Diana affirms: "A woman does have to face many difficulties, but she must continue.”
Leaders, grandmothers, mothers, daughters
Isolina Rueda's products are well known in the Mercado Campesino Chucureño. When she finishes serving the chocolate and the arepas, she recalls how she learned to make most of her products: “Chocolate has been part of my life since I was little. We were always around my mother when she was grinding cocoa… My mother-in-law taught me how to make arequipe.”
The importance of rural women also has to do with the conservation of traditions, the preservation of the recipes of grandmothers, or the “secrets” of caring for gardens. For Isolina, this is quite clear: “You can even ask my youngest child how the shortbread is made, and he knows because he is always with me.”
An hour from Isolina’s house, we find Esperanza Gómez, who remembers her mother's legacy as a leader and her advice: “A house without a garden is a house without a woman…I love gardening: you have to connect with the plants and talk to them as if they were persons so that they become pretty.”
For rural women, it is essential to find their source of financing, generate their resources and empower themselves. For this reason, besides participating in the peasant markets and caring for her home, Doña Isolina and Doña Esperanza stand out as village leaders.
"I encourage neighbors and friends to value what we have: our territory and our work and to see the importance of peasant women," says Doña Isolina while embroidering a tablecloth.
Doña Isolina helped her daughters —already professionals— to form the Voces Campesinas Communication Collective and broadcast the program “El informativo Campesino” on the San Vicente Estéreo Community Radio Station. In addition to giving important breaking news for the rural sector, key issues such as sexual and reproductive health and entrepreneurship for women are also discussed in the program.
Doña Esperanza is also an excellent leader, and she was elected as a representative of the Community Action Board of the village. She has been a catechist and an animator in the area for many years. With a smile, she comments, "we're just getting started, but it's cool because you get involved with the whole town and feel valued more because people come to you for whatever they need.”
According to the Inter-American Commission of Women, the role that Mrs. Isolina and Mrs. Esperanza assume “is central to community mobilization on issues such as land preservation, defense of natural resources, and climate change. Nevertheless, this community organization work is added to productive and reproductive work as a triple burden, increasingly exposing women to various forms of violence.”
"El Informativo Campesino" is expected to continue, and the Community Action Board, headed by Doña Esperanza, is an excellent example of the better times ahead.
Part of the photographic memory of the Serrano Ardila family.
Part of the photographic memory of the Serrano Ardila family.
Photographic memory of Doña Abigail, mother of Doña Esperanza.
Photographic memory of Doña Abigail, mother of Doña Esperanza.
Diana Aguilar, thirty-three years as a rural woman, rests in the middle of the cacao plantations.
Diana Aguilar, thirty-three years as a rural woman, rests in the middle of the cacao plantations.
Isolina Rueda shows her granddaughter Victoria the fruits of her garden.
Isolina Rueda shows her granddaughter Victoria the fruits of her garden.
Doña Esperanza on the balcony of her house surrounded by her garden. Leader of the Community Action Board of her village.
Doña Esperanza on the balcony of her house surrounded by her garden. Leader of the Community Action Board of her village.
Sandra working in her garden. She learned farm work as a child.
. Sandra working in her garden. She learned farm work as a child.
Marina Rugeles: remembering her childhood in her country makes her nostalgic. She sometimes misses working in the crops.
Marina Rugeles: remembering her childhood in her country makes her nostalgic. She sometimes misses working in the crops.
Rosa María and Raquel Caballero talking while working with the cocoa plants.
Rosa María and Raquel Caballero talking while working with the cocoa plants.
Marina Rugeles in one of the tasks that rural women often do: feeding the animals on the farms.
Marina Rugeles in one of the tasks that rural women often do: feeding the animals on the farms.
Kaleth, Diana Aguilar's son, follows in his mother's footsteps to the top of the cacao plantation.
Kaleth, Diana Aguilar's son, follows in his mother's footsteps to the top of the cacao plantation.
Diana Aguilar weeding. She is the only woman in her family who does this.
Diana Aguilar weeding. She is the only woman in her family who does this.
Isolina Rueda's knitting. It is not only a hobby but a source of income.
Isolina Rueda's knitting. It is not only a hobby but a source of income.
Doña Sandra in one of her favorite places. Spreading cocoa in the dryers is one of the jobs women do.
Doña Sandra in one of her favorite places. Spreading cocoa in the dryers is one of the jobs women do.
The connection with animals is inevitable when one is in contact with them daily. Isolina Rueda speaks to “Avioneta.”
The connection with animals is inevitable when one is in contact with them daily. Isolina Rueda speaks to “Avioneta.”
Unraveling the cacao is one of the main tasks women do, due to their agility and speed.
Unraveling the cacao is one of the main tasks women do, due to their agility and speed.
Juliana, one of the young inhabitants of the village.
Juliana, one of the young inhabitants of the village.
Their places
But not all is struggle and problems. Rural women identify with their territory, love their land, and have places they enjoy.
Raquel Caballero is unraveling cocoa. For her and Sandra Díaz, the cacao plantation is her favorite place. “Working in the crops is great, and one also makes a little money,” says Doña Raquel, sitting with a bucket overflowing with cocoa beans between her legs.
For Marina Rugeles, one of her favorite jobs is feeding the animals, especially the chickens. It seems that they know her because they approach her when she comes. Doña Marina believes she has a special connection with birds.
The fact that rural women have a favorite place amid so many shadows opens other possibilities. According to Rueda, the importance of women in the countryside is quite clear, "agriculture functions not because of the women's work but because they take care of the home.”
The fact that rural women have a favorite place amid so many shadows opens other possibilities. According to Rueda, the importance of women in the countryside is quite clear, "agriculture functions not because of the women's work but because they take care of the home.”
The orchard and the garden are critical for the home’s food security and also because they are beautiful. Doña Isolina’s favorite place is the garden because she learns different things and feels she can make a difference there. Furthermore, the kitchen is also a favorite place for her because “I think it's nice to know that what I cook is going to please my family.”
For Esperanza, things are different. She loves to collect antiques. So amid all of her artifacts, she loves her “Tea Room,” a room in the house that looks like a silver cup due to its cleanliness. The Tea Room is devoted to her collection of international and national containers for consuming hot drinks.
Shades of peace
Violence was terrible: it forced us to move from our place. One day we had everything, and the next day we had nothing. But my God gave us willpower, life, health… And we, who were girls at that time, today strive for peace,” says Lidia Vargas, a woman who has been living for thirty-eight years in the countryside.
Rural women are crucial to building peace in the territory. Thirty years ago, it was almost impossible to visit the hamlets or towns of the urban area of San Vicente without encountering armed groups. Although many women are unaware of what was agreed upon in the 2016 Peace Agreement, such as the Agrarian Reform, they have managed to draw shades of peace in their lives and territories.
Rural women were one of the most vulnerable populations during the armed conflict. The chapter “My body is the truth” of the Final Report of the Truth Commission states that 10,864 women experienced intolerable acts during the war. However, as Graciela León says, “we took care of the community, the home, children... At that time, there were few opportunities for everything. However, despite the danger and anxiety we lived in, we did our work".
Phases of incidence in the construction of peace of rural women depending on the areas where they are recognized:
Phases of incidence in the construction of peace of rural women depending on the areas where they are recognized:
If something has been evident is that even amid their precarious kitchen, their many children, and the challenging work in the crops, rural women stand out for their courage and perseverance. When talking about possibilities of peace, these values are transformed into actions. The chapter of the Final Report of the Truth Commission mentioned above emphasizes that “women are fundamental in the reconstruction of the social fabric. They have never given up and have been able to start over, to recover their social life, despite everything and against everything".
Despite everything and against everything, rural women have begun building peace in their homes: “As a peasant woman, I have contributed to peace starting with my children: teaching them how to work the land and take care of it. On the other hand, I am a mediator and use dialogue to resolve any inconvenience,” says Jhoana Carreño, a woman who has worked in the countryside for over forty years.
Doña Lidia enthusiastically adds: “We are leaving our mark and planting our seeds. We are involved in conflict resolution and serve as mediators to help women recover their self-esteem because this does not allow them to be at peace either.”
Whether from a religious point of view, experiences in the community, or the very need to be at peace with themselves, rural women have conquered their place. They have joined the task of conceiving peace as a right and, therefore, work for it daily.
The future
Some governmental sectors have proposed legislative reforms regarding rural women. However, although the legal aspect is necessary, rural women have offered alternatives.
“The first thing we must do is to know ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses. If we know ourselves, we can set goals. We need to believe in ourselves and know how far we can get”, says Doña Lidia. The empowerment of communities is led mainly by women.
Doña Sabina is very clear about their needs: “We need a little more support from the State, from the government. Our partners should support us a little more. We need programs, training… The State has helped us with subsidies, but that's not all. We need training for a better income and to improve the quality of life in our homes.”
There are still historical debts with rural women concerning the land and its use, gender equality, education, and finances. However, the lights they have turned on with their empowerment and resistance, at least in the Andean zone of Santander, are brighter than ever.
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