Collections

This collection details the vast women's labor movement in Central America (mostly concentrating on Nicaragua) in the 1990s and early 2000s as a part of Dr. Jennifer Bickham Mendez's dissertation research. The collection includes newspaper clippings, secondary source articles, publications from various women's labor organizations in Central America, personal field notes and contacts, along with many other materials pertaining to her research. Dr. Bickham Mendez's research acquainted her with many women's labor organizations, giving her an opportunity to explore the work being done in Nicaragua related to women's working conditions and human rights. A majority of her research focused on zonas francas, specific areas within Nicaragua and other Central American countries that face inhumane working conditions in maquilas, or factories that export their manufactured goods to other countries. As the collection progresses, Dr. Bickham Mendez contributed material related to the feminist movement in Nicaragua, including various pamphlets and brochures that discuss various feminist topics such as domestic violence, reproductive health rights, and machismo/toxic masculinity. The collection concentrates on specific women's right organizations that organize around establishing better working conditions for women in these maquilas as well as the national and international responses that resulted from these organizations.