Pragmatism and Contradictions: Right-Wing Women and the Quest for Security in Cold War Chile 1964-1988.

Abstract

This thesis analyses how right-wing women played a significant role in the tumultuous period of the latter Cold War in Chile. Right-wing women mobilised energetically against the presidency of Salvador Allende, forming the movement Feminine Power (Poder Femenino). While the movement fought for the retention of the status quo socially and economically, this research shows how they did so by manipulating the traditional gender roles that they stood for. Later, during the infamous dictatorial regime of Augusto Pinochet, these women continued to demonstrate contradictions in their words and actions, holding firm to the notion of inalterability while showing an affinity for shifting their stances when it benefited them to do so. By situating this research in the context of International Relations and utilising elements of Feminist Security Studies, this thesis reveals the ways in which right-wing women influenced international developments and challenged long-held traditional beliefs about gender, such as the idea that women are naturally peaceful.