¿Bellas, recatadas, madres y hogareñas? la construcción de las representaciones de género en la prensa femenina de Brasil y Españauna perspectiva comprada: la revista Vida Doméstica y el Almanaque de la Madre de Familia (19450-1973)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This investigation aims to analyse gender representations in the Spanish almanack: Almanaque de la Madre de Familia (The Mother's Almanack), compared to the gender representations in the Brazilian magazine: Vida Doméstica (Domestic Life). The analysis was focused on how, from the mid 40's to the beginning of the 70's, of the 20th century, the feminine press, considered to be "traditional", both in Brazil and in Spain, represented gender relations, especially women's life in their different phases. Both publications have women, family, and home as their main subject; used to be considered traditional and family defenders; were created and extinguished within a few years difference and had a long publishing history, which demonstrates their relevance in Brazilian and Spanish sceneries. Regarding the almanacks, it is important to analyse and compare them with other text styles, as in this context, with a magazine, since this style is commonly considered a secondary source of information, which is frequently forgotten or given little historiographic attention. Since their beginning, magazines approached several different topics, always mixing tradition and modernity. If the most meaningful feminine achievements refer back to the seventies, it cannot be left behind all the social transformations and gender relations that precede this period, once their relevance is irrefutable to understand the subsequent overcomes. Women's role in the family, marriage, work and motherhood will be analysed, as well as their representations towards social modifications. To make our analyses possible, women's life cycle through time will be considered, in order to achieve the comprehension of variations and preservations of gender representations. "History of brides, mother, grandmothers, what brief stories they've got to tell", mentioned the Almanaque de la Madre de Familia. Young, adult, elderly ones¿ there was a speech for all of them. In order to reflect on this theme and to achieve the proposed objectives, the techniques presented in Women's and Gender Relations History, Compared History and in Family History will be applied. Concepts presented in Social Representations; Power Relations and Speech/Content Critical Analysis will also be used. This work is divided into three main parts. The first part, named "The State of the Question, Introductory Notes" approaches the investigation theme and the problem, as well as justifications and motivations, to investigate gender representations both in Brazil and Spain. In this chapter, specificities of the studied sources: "Almanaque de la Madre de Familia" and the "Vida Doméstica" magazine are described, and theoretical-methodological concepts used in this investigation are presented. The second part, "Flipping Pages: Gender Representations in the Almanaque de la Madre de Familia and in the Vida Doméstica magazine" describes to the reader gender representations shown both in Brazilian and Spanish feminine press pages, trying to identify similarities, differences, preservation and variations between them. Initially, representations towards girls are analysed, in which it is evident that they were not desired as offsprings if compared to boys. Since their early age, girls were faced with the obligation to gain admiration from their family, learn domestic chores and take care of their beauty and health, so they would be able to contract good marriage and guarantee the correct and expected function of their bodies, especially maternity. Secondly, commitment and marriage representations are analysed. A wide range of techniques is observed to be recommended to women in order to seduce and maintain their fiancé or husband. These recommendations focus mainly on the importance of preserving women's beauty and youth and adopting moral behaviour. In these publications, an idealisation of matrimony is perceived, but above all, there are indications of how women could endure the difficulties and the burden it would bring to their lives. Later, representations of motherhood are analysed. Speeches of induction and pressure towards women's "main goal" (becoming a mother) are identified; but also a great variety of speeches that try to comfort mothers in their vital mission. Work representations will also be analysed, focusing on how men execute valued functions and works, while women perform invisible tasks. Women's insertion in the job market, and their claim for a "fifty-fifty marriage", in which they reclaimed domestic chores division with their husbands, are also given attention in this work. At last, the analysis focuses on the modifications that happened between the 1950's and 1970's, how they are lived in society and how they are depicted by the press. The third chapter: "¿Bellas, Recatadas, Madres y Hogareñas?" (Beautiful, modest and housewives?) is dedicated to the conclusions. Speeches and gender representations predominant in the feminine press both in Brazil and Spain were analysed and known. Speeches variations and conservations in women's life different phases, in these countries, were identified. In a perfect example of Social History, if not between two continents, maybe between two representative countries, just as Brazil in Latin America and Spain in Southern Europe. This work gathered in its pages a great number of important sources and images to help comprehend gender relations in Brazil and Spain. It also demonstrates that numerous current discourses, especially in Brazil, are still very similar to the ones identified in the studied sources. Which means works like this about women's history and social representations are very useful and tend to contribute to overcoming stereotypes that, even nowadays, imprison women and block gender parity progress. Keywords: Gender representations; Women's history; Social History; Feminine press; Motherhood; Marriage; Family; Brazil; Spain; 20th century.