Women's Studies - College of Arts & Sciences - Florida International ...

At the opening of the “Women’s Work / Men’s Work: Labor and Gender in America” exhibit. Left to right: Dr. Alex Lichtenstein
(History), Women’s Studies interns Mirtha Soto and Stephanie Acevedo, Dr. Laurie Shrage, and Dr. Jon Mogul (FIU Wolfsonian).
“Women’s Work / Men’s Work:
Labor and Gender in America” is
the inaugural exhibit of the Wolfsonian
Teaching Gallery at the Frost Museum.
The exhibit displayed of the
divide in the American workforce due
to gender, and how this division was
presented through public art, advertisements
and announcements. The
collection was curated by Drs. Jon
Mogul and Alex Lichtenstein who
were assisted by two of our Women’s
Studies interns, Mirtha Soto and
Stephanie Acevedo. Below is a partial
interview of their experiences
working with the Wolfsonian. (Please
see the full article in Making Waves,
Vol. 9 by Associate Editor, Maria
Murriel.)
After working with the exhibit,
what are your thoughts about “male
work” vs. “female work?”
Stephanie: In this exhibit it is clear
that male work is typically seen as
something that requires skill while
female laborers are often marginal‐
ized, labeled "temporary workers,"
who are just filling in for their male
counterparts who are away at war.
Not only are the women laborers
seen as transient but the skills they
do have, like sewing, are attributed
to their gender rather than some‐
thing that must be learned. It is
seen as something that is innate in
women, something they were born
to do since they (supposedly) have
tiny hands.
Was there any one thing in particu‐
lar that now strikes you as amazing,
incredible, etc.?
Mirtha: I just find it wonderful and
sometimes surprising how telling
the kinds of the objects at the Wolf‐
sonian can be when studying the
society that produced them. I par‐
ticularly love how something as
seemingly inane as soap advertise‐
ment cards can suddenly say so
much about women's labor when
viewed from a different perspective.
Could you tell us a little bit about
“gendered perspectives”?
Stephanie: Gendered perspectives
assign roles to men and women in
society. While this exhibit focused
on labor, gendered perspective im‐
pacts every aspect of our lives,
downright to the opportunities that
we come across and the way we in‐
teract with each other.
How would you describe your in‐
ternship with the Women's Studies
Center?
Mirtha: I truly enjoyed internship
because I was able to contribute
concretely to a project, and at the
same time I was allowed to explore
my own capabilities. That is, I felt
that there was a balance between
the work that needed to be done,
and my choice in selecting which
tasks I would gain the most from
performing.
Women’s Studies Center Annual Report, 2009-2010 33