Women's work in Guatemala

The purpose of this paper is to describe women's work in Maya communities in the Guatemala Highlands, along with some of the trends accompanying the rapid societal change there.

Over the course of six years, observations and interviews focused on two specific groups of women. The first were traditional, home-based women, the second, teachers in a primary school. Resulting transcripts and field notes were analyzed by the researchers to identify themes related to the women's perspectives on work, the patterns of their work activities, and the importance of work in their lives. Women who had been interviewed were asked to reflect on the themes identified.

All the women engaged in paid work activities and were responsible for obligatory tasks in the home. The traditional group preserved the tradition of weaving, but remained largely illiterate, while the emerging group was literate, but did not learn to weave.

Cultural change is both positive and negative, as described by these women. It is important to understand the particular values of the culture, and to recognize that these may not conform to Western (that is to say U.S.) beliefs and practices.