08 Disability in Argentina
Description
This article is from the Essays on the topic of Women and Disability.
08 Disability in Argentina
Body Image Then and Now. My Experience of Disability in Argentina
by Sara Leiserson
During a recent visit to my native country, I observed a
significant difference in the way in which friends and others
reacted to my disability, compared with friends and others in the
Canadian environment. Argentine social services are on the "back
burner," and support for persons with disabilities is largely
unavailable. The importance and particular
characteristics of the ideal body image for Argentine women is
related to many factors--geography, tourist trade, gender
relations, arid other social, psychological and historical
factors. There is an emphasis on 'beach activities,' which
affects expectations for women and is connected to the
marginality/invisibility of women with disabilities, and also to
the status of Argentine women in general.
Some facts about my country
Considering the present economic situation, it is difficult for
Argentines to remember that at the turn of the century Argentina
ranked among the ten richest nations of the world. The last
military dictatorship (from 1967 to 1983)-- my reason for
leaving the country--culminated in severe violations of human
rights. Its attempt to regain control over the Malvinas
(Falklands) Islands in 1982 led to a bloody war between
Argentina and Great Britain that ended with Argentina's
surrender and the country's complete economic bankruptcy.
Once democracy was restored in 1983, the country had to face an
'internal war'--a huge debt and an uneven distribution of
wealth. The country's infrastructure has been deteriorating ever
since. To complete this portrait, it is necessary to mention that
the country does not have a welfare system. Argentina is a
Catholic country which means that it assigns responsibility for
the health, education, and welfare of the community to the
Church. People without economic resources rely heavily on the
Church or charitable organizations for assistance. On the other
hand, the 'lucky' ten percent of the population that is well-off
can afford a higher standard of living, better health care, and
education, similar to the lifestyle the upper middle class
enjoys in North America.
Lay charity fills in where the Church proves insufficient,
creating economic dependence on the wealthy oligarchy of
Argentina. Government assistance is only possible when the
country is economically affluent. The situation reverses
completely during difficult economic periods, like the present
one. During the polio epidemic in 1954, the country was living an
economic bonanza. Consequently, many rehabilitation programs were
organized, as well as massive free vaccination. The Centre for
Disabled Rehabilitation (Centro de Rehabilitacion del
Liciado) was founded then, and it still exists today in the same
shape and form--but no new technology has been added since 1954.
Dependence is the most striking difference I found between
Argentine and Canadian women with disabling conditions. While in
Canada we are involved in self-help and independent movements, in
Argentina, women with disabilities are completely dependent on
their family, partners, adult children, the church,
charitable institutions, and so on. Upper and middle class women
with disabilities, however, are able to afford help.
In a male chauvinistic country, like Argentina, women with
disabilities are worse off than men with disabilities. Women
become totally isolated, immobile, and confined to the house. It
is much more difficult for a female than for a male with a
disability to participate in public activities or meetings,
unless special efforts are made to help her do so. For women, who
usually do not do paid work, there is no disability
allowance, no environmental adjustment, practically no access to
education or training and therefore to employment, and no
opportunity to become involved in self-help movements.
Traditional patterns and deep-rooted prejudices against
disability are far more intense in the rural areas and more
difficult to change, making the situation of people with
disabilities in rural areas intolerable.
Body-image and exaggerated fear of ridicule
Dressing fashionably is a national cult in Argentina. Every time
the news is on T.V., it ends with a fashion show. This means that
the public in Argentina is constantly bombarded with images of
the commercialized ideal of womanhood-- young, beautiful, active,
and physically perfect--to an extent that strips the woman with a
disability of her self-respect and sexuality, and presents her
not as a person but as an object of charity and pity.
Most of my life I lived by the sea, where middle class
Argentines spend their summer holidays. Women generally work out
all year in order to present an almost perfect body when they go
to the seaside. There are 50,000 inhabitants in my home town and
eight gyms! The centrality of body image in determining self-
esteem varies from person to person. It is certainly more
important to women than to men, given the emphasis that is
placed on women's physical appearance, especially in the media.
For women in Argentina and in most of the western world, looking
a certain way is seen as important in finding a male partner or
husband. I've already mentioned how the stigma of disability in
Argentina, with its myths and fears, increases women's social
isolation. Having a relationship with someone depends on having
the social opportunity to meet people which is practically
impossible if one has a disability and is perpetually
housebound. The fact that I am married was shocking news to my
friends. Most of them felt sorry for my husband who had the "bad
luck" of having to deal with a wife with a disability.
This was normal to me until I left. At that time, I was not
disabled. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987. From
this date on, every time I return to Argentina, the lack of
facilities for people with disabilities strikes me. More than
this, disability is not at all visible. During my stay last year,
I travel led two thousand kilo metres and never once met another
person with a cane or in a wheelchair. Furthermore, I am not
willing to take the pseudo-pity that some of my friends
displayed. I did not choose my disability, but since I have it, I
will deal with it as best I can.
It is true that having a disability is to be disadvantaged. It
means being unable, most of the time, to participate in the
social and economic activities that most people take for
granted. It means confronting the negative attitudes of others
and sometimes internalizing those negative reactions until they
become part of the disability itself. However, at the same time--
and this is what my friends did not know--it means gaining the
additional insight that comes from encountering a wider range of
experiences. It can mean overcoming enormous challenges, leading
to a sense of achievement and fulfilment. It also means a sense
of solidarity with other oppressed people and the emergence of a
social and political community with other people with
disabilities.
Conclusion
On account of my disability my movements are very slow, I get
tired very rapidly, and I need to sit down very often. This, in a
way, gives me the opportunity to observe and think, something I
did a lot of during my last visit to Argentina.
The Argentinean experience should serve as an example for Canada
in these economically difficult times. We have already seen where
the government's budget cuts are directed, and women are among
the first targets. It is important for women with
disabling conditions to defend the benefits we need. In
Argentina, lack of economic resources completely destroyed the
emerging welfare system. The same dangerous situation could
happen in Canadian society.
Sara Leiserson is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at York
University. She is a feminist and is happily married She is also
surviving as a mother of two teenagers!
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