Neoliberalism and Gender Identities in Thursday Night Widows by Claudia Piñeiro

Abstract

Thursday Night Widows (2005) by Argentine writer Claudia Piñeiro presents the story of a group of six families who take advantage of economic prosperity to move to Los Altos de las Cascadas, a gated community. Only successful men live in Las Cascadas, whose characterization corresponds to what R.W. Connell has classified as hegemonic masculinities. In contrast, the wives of these magnates are dedicated to maintaining the home and doing charitable works. When the economic crisis of 2001 ensued, the fenced-in neighborhood system broke down and destabilized gender identities. Based on Masculinities by R.W. Connell, Consumers and Citizens: Globalization and Multicultural Conflicts by Néstor García Canclini and Los que ganaron: la vida en los countries y barrios privados by Maristella Svampa, this study analyzes how the implementation of the neoliberal model during the presidency of Carlos Menem (1989-1999) affects the construction of masculinities and femininities, where the neoliberal model drives men to commit suicide and condemns women to suffer the consequences of gender-based violence.