Interview Assignment
Lucero Benitez is a hard-working Venezuelan single mom who immigrated to the United States
not too long ago. Since getting here, Lucero has struggled with employment since she has no
college degree and in her words, because she is a “woman”. Lucero puts 100% of her efforts into
anything she does and rarely complains. The majority of her bosses have been men and she
believes there is a clear difference between a woman ran business and a man ran business. Her
goal is to open up opportunities for her daughter that she did not have. She believes even with no
men in her life, the sky is the limit. I chose to interview Lucero because I believe she is a victim
of gender inequality and many men in her life have taken advantage of her. Lucero is a constant
reminder that no matter how many people try to bring you down, it is up to you to keep fighting.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How many times a week would you say you experience gender inequality?
2. Do you believe this problem has one specific solution?
3. Have you ever found yourself standing up for gender equality?
4. Introduce yourself and give me your background story
5. What kind of assumptions do people make about you simply because of your gender?
6. What have you taught your daughter about gender inequality?
7. Did you believe gender inequality existed before you moved to this country?
8. Do you see an end to gender inequality any time soon?
9. What is something you can say when being a victim of gender inequality?
10. Have there been any specific times you recall being treated differently because of your
gender?
Fernanda Caceres
Jackie Burr, Instructor
English 2010, Unit 3
April 26, 2021
Interview Reflection
I reached out to Lucero Benitez knowing she had a unique story. My mom and she have mutual
friends so I was able to reach out to her and invite her for a bite to eat. The interview was held on
May 18th in the Nordstrom Cafe at City Creek at 4 pm. It was 43 minutes long and was recorded
using the voice memo app. During the interview, I had my phone recording the conversation so I
could refer back and was using a notebook to keep track of my questions and Benitez’s
responses. After the interview ended, I relistened and transcribed the interview. I was able to get
through all of the questions, however, some of the questions I translated to Spanish to make sure
there were no translation problems.
Benitez explained to me that she struggles with gender inequality daily, she says it
requires a lot of patience throughout the day. She says it is difficult because since she only
moved here a few years ago her English hasn’t been perfected yet and she is a woman of color
which she thinks is the hardest person to be in this country. Everyone looks at you like you’re an
animal in the zoo she explained. Lucero wishes there was one solution to gender inequality but
until everyone realizes there is an issue, nothing is going to get solved. Unless you tell someone
they are taking part in gender inequality, most of the time they have no idea. It is important to
express your feelings when you feel like you are a victim. You have to have caution with how
you let the person know so they don’t get offended or think you are being sensitive. You cannot
say “are you only treating me this way because I am a woman” because their response will
automatically be no. Instead, you should say “how would you treat this situation if I were a man”
this lets them take a step back and realize they are doing something wrong. She explained to me
how immigrating into this country as a single mom was a very rough process. Things were so
bad in Venezuela, she knew she had no other choice. She had her awful stories about women and
young children being taken advantage of while trying to immigrate to America because they see
them as vulnerable. Because of her gender, she has been denied job opportunities although she
has had the same credentials as her male competitors, has received lower pay than her male
coworkers, and has emotionally been taken advantage of by men who assume she is more
vulnerable because she is a woman. Lucero has had no contact with her daughter’s father for a
few years so she tries to explain to her daughter that while choosing a man she wants to spend
the rest of her life with she has high expectations and only accepts someone who treats her like
royalty. She does explain that whether there is a man or there isn’t you can always be
extraordinary on your own. In Venezuela, gender inequality exists but in the United States people
are less obvious and don’t like being confronted about it. People in Venezuela know exactly what
they are doing and are not afraid to admit it. I learned that when you are constantly a victim of
gender inequality you can learn from it or let it have a negative impact on your life. You can
become a better person because of it and remember that it is a great thing to be a woman no
matter what some men may say. Change starts today within yourself. It is okay to stand up for
yourself because until people realize they are doing something wrong they will continue to make
the same mistakes. The way we raise our daughters will impact how they deal with situations
like this. We need to teach our sons better and hopefully, one day, have a world where there are
equal opportunities for all genders.