Triple Oppression

Examining the experiences of Chicana women within the movement was eye opening to me because it allowed me to realize the ways in which the experience of oppression for these women was multiplied on many different levels. Not only were these women experiencing the race and class oppression that emerged from their social and economic positions within the United States but they were suffering from the sexism both within their own organization and as women within American society at large.

Women in these communities who wished to take an active part in the struggles being fought were often regulatd to menial tasks within the organization. There own concerns regarding sexism and their unique positions as women in the United States and as women within the movement were often marginalized. This marginalizatin stemmed from a real and imagined fear of the oppressive influence of Anglo culture and power in the organization. This also seemed to stem from a fear of overshadowing what was perceived through the dominating male perspective of the movement as the greater struggles for racial and economic equality.

These issues and questions surrounding gender raise important questions. In my mind these issues raise the question of how political organizations centered on certain social identities can resolve the internal conflicts that arise when certain sub cultures and identities exist within a movement.