“Sexed habits” in the port city of Mar del Plata: women and fishermen in the beginning of the millennium

Abstract

Fishing is considered as an eminently male production activity that ascribes to women domestic and reproductive roles. This naturalized view of the differentiation of the sexes has been built historically according to the implicit inequality in the opposition between what is socially considered masculine or feminine. Various anthropological studies have focused on women and their relation with the fishing activity, since this industry makes it possible to lend visibility to women and their daily activities at home and in public. This paper discusses the social representations of gender that circulate among people who belong to the port community of Mar del Plata. By interpreting oral testimonies, it identifies discourses and practices that men and women construct in their daily interactions. In this way it questions the invisibility of female work inside and outside of the home and deals with the “relative” autonomy that women have. Finally, it raises some preliminary questions related to the labor union activities of a group of women who are or were married to fishermen.

Key words: History, gender, male domination, fishermen.