~ The Company's Role in Family Life ~
In order to uphold loyalty from their labor force, the companies took control over nearly all aspects of life. Despite voices against this intervention, the companies gained control over the community and family lives in variety of ways.
One major aspect of the companies' control was housing. Housing assignments were distributed on the basis of worker occupation and marital status. The assignments would reflect both the hierarchial structure of the labor force and the company's social control over the individuals and families they housed. The companies provided living space to all of their employees. Single men were seperated from families who received individual housing. Single women could not live alone in company housing and would have to live with family members. Family homes tended to have one to two rooms and a kitchen although they varied in size, design, and comfort.
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Ivo Sloboda |
Ivo Sloboda briefly describes how the companies provided his family with housing although as part of management in the American oil company, he was housed in downtown Comodoro Rivadavia as opposed to the company towns like most of the workers.
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In addition to housing, the companies also provided medical and educational services. The workers tended to accept the education provided for the children, but most resisted the adult education offerred.
The
companies also attempted to enforce morality on their employees.
In 1924 a circular (#155) was created forcing workers to show family
documents to prove their marriage to the women with whom they lived.
Companies instilled morality among the women by enforcing laws against
prostitution and prohibiting the establishment of brothers. |
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Workers and their families spent the majority of their time within the company towns due to the difficulty of travelling to areas such as the port town of Comodoro. Company towns, however restrictive, did provide activities for the workers, but many of these events and entertainment forms were focused toward the single men who composed the majority of the population. Women had very limited social lives, and developed a greater interest in the informal activities that occurred within the house.
Gatherings, including even social gatherings, were limited within the limits of the company town. The companies feared that families, ethnic groups, and other groups would discuss political issues and combine together in a fight against the company.
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The oil companies also sponsored entertainment that became a part of family life. For example, the National company town opened a cinema in May of 1929 that played movies on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays with a free Sunday mattinee. The National company town also distributed toys among children under the age of twelve for the "El Día de Reyes" or Three Kings Day on January 6. |
The social club in the national company town (The Social Club of the Explotation of Petroleum of Comodoro Rivadavia) was sponsored by the company and offered concerts, parties, and dances for national holidays. Participation, however, was limited to white collar workers and high ranking personnel and their families.
In general, workers adjusted their lives to conform to the company's rules and limits. There were time, however, where the company's role in their lives caused them to struggle to develop a life of their own and to make a living.
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