Brianna Russell
Paper Prospectus
I. Topic
What is the history of the Venezuelan gender roles in politics and economics and how
have they operated under Chavismo? What are some of the historical social programs that have
targeted women in the past and how effective have they been in developing the state? What
do these programs look like today? Where are they going? How has gender played a role in the
local economic and political development model in Venezuela? What is the relationship
between the development programs put in place under Chavez and Venezuelan feminism? How
have such programs as; women’s agricultural cooperatives, the 21 women's social welfare
programs, and Article 88 of the 1999 Constitution influenced the feminist movement and
Venezuela’s development as a whole? How have these programs increased female participation
in the political and economic spheres?
II. Topic Importance: Why would the academic community care about this project?
The current socio-political background in Venezuela has been defined by the leadership
of current President and possible re-elect; Hugo Chavez. Under his administration he has
created the 1999 Constitution with various changes directly affecting those that have been
marginalized over the past decades. His socialist rule has been interpreted as a dictatorship by
the West and a uniting force for the regional states by Latin Americans. The programs he’s
implemented have created a system that some academics refer to as voter manipulation as
well as oil wealth redistribution. Venezuela is an important country not only because of its oil
reserves, anti-American leadership, but also because of its regional geographical position and
influence on its surrounding neighbors. So, whatever Venezuela does, it is important in
understanding its affects as its practices will likely be replicated by its neighboring countries.
Also, this topic about gender politics and economics is crucial to the development of women’s
roles in Latin America and the feminist movement there. Academics are concerned about
Chavez’s social programs and how they will influence the country’s development process.
The main reason for studying this topic is that there is little data available about these
new social programs and the affects of Chavez’s leadership on the feminist movement. Many
scholars see this lack of transparency and government accountability as a sign that Chavez’s
government could have ulterior motives other than simply wanting to help the poor. However,
that statement is arguable and this research intends to find empirical evidence to make
legitimate claims about the Chavez regime and its relationship to the gender based
development. By adding to the current discourse on this topic; sociologists and political
scientists will better understand the positive and negative affects Chavez’s changes have had on
the Venezuelan people, specifically the female population. This will give them a micro case to
incorporate into the macro situation of how Latin America as a whole can develop into
democratic states based on equality.
III. Analytical Frame
This paper will identify the use of sustainable development practices under the Chavez
reforms such as; agricultural cooperatives; and how these models have served to increase local
people’s livelihood and ability to participate in the national economy. Here I will argue that
women’s involvement in these cooperatives and other social programs alike, have played a key
role in the outcomes of positive development growth. Also, I hope to distinguish in this
research whether these outcomes increase women’s participation in the political and
economical environment in Venezuela organically or if their participation is coerced. The
agricultural cooperatives are an interesting case considering the industrialization boom that
occurred in the 1900s that created massive declines in agricultural exports and a wave of
urbanization in which 90% of the population lives in urban areas. Here we see individuals
through government policy, re-creating old markets that were weeded out with the founding of
oil. We’ve often talked about reversing back to a local model after having had decades of unfair
trade arrangements. The urbanization that affected Venezuela ties into the Race for Resources,
and how the development of industrialization has created condensed spaces within Venezuela,
and the change in human’s behavior of the manipulation of the environment. After
industrialization, agriculture practices diminished and by 2004 70% of Venezuela’s food was
imported. (Green, 3)
The other social programs targeted at women have also displayed a new wave of gender
politics in Venezuela that was not present prior to Chavez. Before Chavez there were social
programs and a well ran democratic state in the 1960s, (which coincidentally was at the start of
the feminist movement worldwide). But in the late 1980s when the IMF and World Bank began
their SAPs programs in Latin America, Venezuela experienced a state of utter turmoil both
politically and economically. It was this state of emergency that allowed for the rise of a new
leader with plans to make drastic changes in the redistribution of resources and policies. His
gender specific social programs have created both speculation and praise in regards to its
effectiveness and legitimacy. Chavez has taken back control of Venezuela’s oil and state
functions from the U.S. hegemonic hands and in the process lost Western support. I argue that
Chavez is utilizing the women’s movement in Venezuela to help gain support from the
international community as well increase the speed at which Venezuela will become a key
player in the regional economy of Latin America.
IV. Expected Conclusion
 Women’s roles in a patriarchal society are at the root of development changes currently
happening in Venezuela. Since women take on the duties related to agriculture, water,
child-raising, and community; they have been catalysts for the Chavez development plan
in creating a western-free developed socialist state. By empowering women
economically they will organically enter the political sphere and create policy changes
that improve their lives and inadvertently the next generations’ lives.
 By winning the votes of poor, indigenous women, Chavez will be reelected as President
in the October 2012 elections and continue his goals of uniting Latin American countries
to create a strong regional force in the global economy.
 Through the redistribution of wealth and ultimate deterioration of the class divide;
many (as most have already done so) of the rich population and political right will have
left the country (thousands of rich Venezuelans reside in Florida) creating less
opposition for Chavez and a united state that is pro-socialist and a state no longer
affected by the Resource Curse.
 The concern of academics is that Chavez will eventually find himself in the position of
becoming the ‘imperialist’ in which Venezuela will be the hegemonic force in Latin
America. Thus, utilizing its power and wealth to engage in the global capitalist system
much like China has done so already.
 Is Venezuela an ideal model for other regions/countries to mimic? Is his inclusion of
women a positive example and a completely democratic one? With the eventual
prosperity of the Venezuelan economy will Chavez be able to continue with the slow
gradual growth of the country or will he succumb to the spiral effect caused by
generative sectors that produce disadvantages between countries? Through
technological advances and the global capitalist process, how long before Venezuela
uses its oil profits to re-invest in new ways of faster extraction like most middle and core
countries have done to resource rich states?