What International Women’s Day means to Tz’utujil women

In Guatemala, a historically patriarchal country, machismo - the idea of exaggerated masculinity and male dominance - unfortunately remains deeply entrenched into the culture. According to the United Nations’ Gender Inequality Index, Guatemala experiences among the highest rates of gender inequality in Latin America.

Pueblo a Pueblo spoke with some of the women that we work to support in order to hear their stories and experiences about womanhood in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala.

“For me, being a woman is being life, which deserves respect,” says Lucia Xicay from Panabaj. Lucia Xicay is a beneficiary of Pueblo a Pueblo’s maternal and child health program.

“But as women, we face many difficulties. For example, in the process of pregnancy, we women face many difficult situations, such as miscarriages or childbirth with complications that affect our lives and those of our loved ones.”

Indigenous women in Guatemala are particularly affected by the country’s poor healthcare system: even though they represent half the country’s reproductive age women, indigenous women experience 71% of all maternal deaths. Indigenous women are also more likely to have complications in childbirth and poor access to nutrition compared to non-indigenous women.

Lucia has better hopes for women of the next generation. “I hope that in the future, girls and young women of today continue studying, achieving their goals and not going through the situations that I went through during my pregnancy.”

Next, we visited Concepción Pospoy Ramírez, a 19-year-old Pueblo a Pueblo scholarship recipient.

Concepción is currently studying accounting with a focus on computing. In light of the challenges facing women who often have to take on many burdens at once, she feels particularly inspired by her neighbor.

“Despite being a mother, she has not stopped fighting for her dreams and goals. She continues to study, work and strive to achieve her goals, which shows me that, despite the difficulties, women can achieve and get what they want.“

Indigenous women in Guatemala are the most disadvantaged when it comes to access to education. In turn, this also leads to wider wage disparities for indigenous women compared to their peers. The problem is exacerbated with the domestic violence women often face at home, further impeding their ability to seek education.

Nevertheless, Concepción is optimistic about the challenges women face.

“Being a woman is not easy since we face many difficulties in life. But the ability to overcome everything makes us even more special.”

Dina Morales, 23, has a lot to say about overcoming difficulties. A first-time mother, she currently supports her family by selling ices on the street.

“One of the difficulties I have gone through is the violence I suffered. I worked hard to overcome that situation which weighed on my mind from the age of 8 to 17. It is a trauma that got to the point where I wanted to die.”

Unfortunately, women continue to suffer high rates of domestic violence in Guatemala – and indigenous women are the least likely to seek help or tell anyone about the abuse they face.

Nursing her 1-month old baby, Dina spoke of the suffering her mother had fought against. But in the midst of the suffering, she continued to encourage Dina that anything is possible. “She fought with me, supported me with my studies, and never said no. Instead, she always told me, ‘You can do it.’”

Now, Dina says, she hopes to do the same for her daughter.

Asked what advice she would give to others, she responded that women should above all have self-love and confidence in their abilities.

“If we do not have self-esteem, we let other people tell us that we are less or that they are more powerful than us.”

Concepción had similar advice to give to women. “We women are very important and valuable, so we should not let others make us feel less or let them decide for us, since we also have a voice and a vote. We have the right to live in peace and harmony.”

How Pueblo a Pueblo uplifts women

Since 2001, Pueblo a Pueblo’s maternal child health program has been striving to give mothers and their children the support they need during the most vulnerable stages of pregnancy and childhood. Pueblo a Pueblo provides free medical care for pregnant women and young children, workshops on health and nutrition, and home visits to ensure proper use of medical treatment.

Pueblo a Pueblo also provides educational support through our education program by offering scholarships and school supplies from primary school through university, as well as tutoring and after-school workshops.

You can support these programs by donating to Pueblo a Pueblo’s fund, administered by our partner organization Natik.