Indigenous Women and Their Position in Nineteenth-century Ecuadorian History Posted By : Allan Smith

While O'Connor explicitly states that this book is about Indigenous women and their position in nineteenth-century Ecuadorian history, she argues that it is not women's history. Rather, she tells us that gender analysis is the central feature of the book. This is a claim often made by authors exploring gender issues, but seldom accomplished. Using court records, O'Connor argues that the close association of men with agriculture gave them higher social status than women. The difference in the economic and social meaning of marriage on the haciendas illustrates her point. Marriage provided men with increased status and power over their wives.