A couple of things I observed recently showed me how men´s and women´s roles are seen differently down here than back home.
The hostel I was staying in at Iguazu Falls was huge and it sort of operated like a resort or cruise. There were organized sports during the day, sometimes shows were put on in the evening after dinner. I was hanging out one afternoon and the guy who was in charge of the afternoon soccer game was going through the common areas trying to drum up support. At least half of the people there were female, but I noticed he didn´t ask one of them if they wanted to play. When he met a mixed group of people he would only ask the guys if they wanted to play, not the women. I´m sure if one of the girls piped up that they wanted to join in he would have said ok, but I don´t think it occurred to him that women would play soccer.
And then today, I passed a graduation ceremony for the Carabinieros (the national police – like the RCMP I guess). There was a parade down the street and the graduates were marching in formation. The men looked like military, carrying rifles. The women, while being in uniform, did not carry guns. Instead they all carried purses. It was surreal.
