My yala: female sexual liberation and perpetuation of the patriarchal order

Abstract

“You are my yala” for young people from La Paz Bolivia refers to someone with whom they had sexual relations, the use of this term and the speeches of some songs in recent years has created a social environment of apparent sexual freedom, this article seeks to demonstrate that this discourse exists alongside deep-rooted social stigmatization. A comprehensive field study was conducted, engaging young university students aged 17 to 26 in La Paz. The study showed that the capitalist system opportunistically takes advantage of the contradictions inherent in a discourse that simultaneously encourages and stigmatizes women for embracing open sexuality. It is evident that the capitalist system opportunistically leverages the contradictions inherent in a discourse that both encourages and stigmatizes women for embracing open sexuality. This paradoxical environment has, in turn, fostered the growth of a cultural market that serves to perpetuate the existing patriarchal order.