Chavez expressed traditional views on gender roles and was little influenced by the second wave feminism that was contemporary with his activism. In his movement, men took almost all the senior roles, with women largely being confined to background roles as secretaries, nurses, or in child-care; the main exception was Huerta. Chavez had a close working relationship with Huerta. They became mutually dependent, and although she did not hesitate to raise complaints with him, she also usually deferred to him. During their working relationship, they often argued, something which intensified in the latter part of the 1970s. Huerta stated that she was Chavez's "whipping girl" when he was under pressure. He never had close friendships outside of his family, believing that friendships distracted from his political activism.
