62 CultureShock! Chile
Women tend to work in traditional fields as nurses,
secretaries, teachers and domestic help. There are a large
number of female lawyers, physicians and journalists;
however, there are few women industry leaders. In order to
ease more women into the workforce, especially women from
the lower income bracket, President Bachelet made some
female-friendly changes to the labour code.Social Services
The government and the business community provide
more social services for women, especially working
mothers, than in even some developed countries. The
Chilean government established the Servicio Nacional de
la Mujer or SERNAM (National Office for Women) in 1990.
The director is a member of the Cabinet. Its goals are to
promote women’s involvement in society and to improve
the lives of women in a wide range of areas. It addresses
such issues as discrimination, job opportunities, education,
family development, health, domestic violence, self-esteem
building, housing and social and political participation.
Currently, Chilean law states that a woman is to receive
three months paid maternity leave and cannot be fired
from her job due to pregnancy. Mothers (and now fathers)
are eligible for unpaid leave if a child becomes seriously ill.
Depending upon the size of the company and the percentage
of women employed, the company must provide nursery
care. The company can either set up its own nursery or hire
an independent firm to provide the service.Nanas
Working mothers in Chile are not faced with the same
problems that mothers in some developed countries are.
Because labour is relatively cheap, many upper, middle
and even some lower-class families hire nanas (nannies)
or empleadas who not only look after the children but also
clean, cook and do the laundry. The nana is a trusted partner
in raising the children and her presence is a great source
of relief to working and non-working mothers alike. Many
middle and upper-class families have live-in nanas who are