Child support as a strategic interest: La Asociación de Madres Demandantes of El Salvador
Author(s)
Ready, KelleyEditor(s)
Sweetman, CarolinePublication date
2003-07-01Country
El Salvador
Metadata
Show full item recordJournal
Gender & DevelopmentDocument type
Journal articleLanguage
EnglishDescription
Among certain social sectors in El Salvador, couples have not necessarily engaged in formal marriages. But with the economic and political crisis of the 1980s, many poor Salvador women were left with the sole financial responsibility for their children. With the 'modernisation' of the state in the post-war period, more of those women began to seek the assistance of the state in securing child support. This paper looks at the process that women had to go through to access that support and explores how Mujeres por La Dignidad y La Vida (Women for Dignity and Life), a feminist organisation created out of the Salvadoran civil war, mobilised women to challenge institutionalised gender roles reflected in that process. The conflicts that arose within the new organisation they formed, the Asociación de Madres Demandantes (Association of Mothers Seeking Child Support), highlight the different interests of the women being organised and those organising them. These conflicts were intensified by the policies of donor organisations that supported the work of the Association. This article is hosted by our co-publisher Taylor & Francis. For the full table of contents for this and previous issues of this journal, please visit the <a href="http://www.genderanddevelopment.org">Gender and Development</a> website.Pages
10ISSN
1355-2074EISSN
1364-9221ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/741954318