“Here, women are in charge”? Social policies, emotions and creative forms of agency in Buenos Aires

TABBUSH, CONSTANZA

Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Congreso; XXVIII International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association: Rethinking Inequalities; 2009

Latin American Studies Association

This presentation looks at the social construction of gender inequalities. The paradox at the heart of this paper is that while the social exclusion of particular groups is socially depicted as mostly a masculine problematique (too much male unemployment or asocial behaviour); policies adopted to counter it call upon poor women and make them responsible for securing inclusion in their communities. Yet, they also silence the empirical characteristics of women’s exclusion at the local level. Based on qualitative research in two neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires and Santiago, the research presented highlights important implications for women’s citizenship practices and agency.