by Aris Jameson

Created on: May 17, 2008   Last Updated: April 03, 2010

My grandmother was born in 1929 and grew up in a small town in southern Ecuador named Cuenca. Unlike most Ecuadorians at the time, she was fortunate enough to live a privileged childhood, as her family was extremely affluent. Although women did not enjoy the same rights as men, my grandmother's social standing allowed her to experience some of the amenities that few girls ever dreamed of.

Her grandfather, father, and uncle were all successful businessmen who owned large companies throughout the country. Both her father and uncle owned various hat-making factories, which generated exorbitant amounts of revenue during the 1920's. My grandmother had two younger sisters and two older brothers, and all of them lived in a mansion in Cuenca until her older brother, Federico, moved to a northern Ecuadorian city named Guayaquil to manage his own business. My grandmother was never expected to do any chores, as her family had their own personal Indian servants who did housework in exchange for food and shelter.

Spanish girls living in Ecuador did not go to school, as they were expected to do housework and raise children so the men could concentrate on physical labor. Indian girls became servants and lived with families who had enough money to provide them with food and shelter. My grandmother's family was wealthy enough to hire a private tutor to educate my grandmother and her sisters at their mansion. She was taught basic mathematics and read many literary works, which inspired her to pursue a college degree. There were no colleges in Ecuador at the time, so she moved to the United States and attended the University of Missouri, a decision that was not popular with her family.

Her father was confounded by the fact that she wanted to continue her education, as he knew that she could live a life of luxury in Ecuador without an education. However, my grandmother did not want to live off of her parent's money for the rest of her life; she wanted to become educated and accomplish things she could be proud of.

Social standards were very strict in Ecuador and all men and women were expected to adhere to them. Men were considered to be superior to women, but young boys were generally taught to respect Spanish women, and there was never any overt favoritism toward boys in Ecuadorian households. However, Indian boys and girls were considered to be uncivilized savages, and they were forced to labor as servants in order to survive. Ecuador was a very indigent nation at that time, and there was a dearth of job opportunities for both men and women. My grandmother actually believed that women were better off, as they raised children and did housework, while men were worked long and grueling hours in factories and on farms. Most men and women met at an early age and married soon thereafter because life expectancies were not very high due to the arduous work that needed to be done. Pre-marital sex and teen pregnancy were uncommon because such behavior was condemned and considered to be "Indian practices." Any Spanish woman who was impregnated out of wedlock brought extreme ignominy upon herself and her family. My grandmother was interested in education rather than marriage, and she did not even meet my grandfather until she graduated from the University of Missouri.

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