In the early part of the 19th Century the women in Puerto Rico were Spanish subjects and had few individual rights. Those who belonged to the upper class of the Spanish ruling society had better educational opportunities than those who did not. However, there were many women who were already active participants in the labor movement and in the agricultural economy of the island. After Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States in as a result of the Spanish—American War, women once again played an integral role in Puerto Rican society by contributing to the establishment of the University of Puerto Rico , women's suffrage , women's rights , civil rights , and to the military of the United States.
During the period of industrialization of the s , many women in Puerto Rico found employment in the needle industry , working as seamstresses in garment factories. Ramirez de Ferrer v. Currently, women in Puerto Rico and outside of Puerto Rico have become active participants in the political and social landscape in both, their homeland and in the continental United States.
Many of them are involved in the fields that were once limited to the male population and have thus, become influential leaders in their fields.
According to "Ivonne Figueroa", editor of the "El Boricua: cultural magazine, women who were mothers carried their babies on their backs on a padded board that was secured to the baby's forehead. According to the Spanish conquistadores, the Carib Indians were cannibals who regularly ate roasted human flesh. Archaeological evidence indicates that they limited the consumption of humans to ceremonial occasions.
The cacique tribal chief was the only person who could afford to sustain multiple wives. It was a great honor for a woman to be married to a cacique. Not only did she enjoy a materially superior lifestyle, but her children were held in high esteem. The Naguas were a long cotton skirt that the woman made. The native women and girls wore the Naguas without a top. They were representative of each woman's status, the longer the skirt, the higher the woman's status.
