  As a time characterized by state repression, the 1970s were also a time of awakening for many women who demanded social change (Bartra 2001: 6). Latin American feminists not only challenged patriarchy by defining themselves as distinct political subjects, but also challenged male paradigms of domination expressed through the militaristic and counter-insurgent state. The reality of state repression made Latin American feminisms distinct in their ability to unveil the patriarchal foundations of militarism and institutionalized violence (Saporta Sternbach et al. 1992: 397). The intimate relationship between patriarchy and military state repression is best elucidated by the intersection between Chilean feminist activism and the push for democratization in Julieta Kirkwood’s famous phrase: “Democracia en el país, en la casa y en la cama”, which translates to: “Democracy in the nation, in the house, and in the bed” (Kirkwood 1986: 14). Latin American feminism of the 1970s was linked to an activism that believed authoritarian regimes found their roots where patriarchal oppression trickled into the “private” sphere. By the late 1970s, opposition movements emerged throughout Latin America, joined by women from all walks of life defying their historical exclusion from political life (Saporta Sternbach et al. 1992: 398–399).