From the Women’s Salt to the Women of the Salt

Myth and Reality about the San Fernando Salineras through Newspaper and Oral Sources

Abstract

The importance of salt for human life explains that this ordinary element is called white gold and that its production has influenced the economy and society of many territories in all times. The economic and political relevance of the salt flats of southern Spain, such as those of San Fernando, in Cádiz, explains the research interest on its history, but, for now, it has not been approached from a gender perspective. In order to contribute with new knowledge to the history of women, this text is interested in the figure of the salt miner woman through the study of newspapers and oral sources. As we will see, the portrait of these women is polarized between the mythical woman, very influenced by the Andalusian stereotype, and the real woman.