This week I decided to look into the marginalization of Andean women in Peru. The two communities discussed in the book Women of the Andes: Patriarchy and Social Change in Two Peruvian Towns by Susan Bourque and Kay Warren are Mayobamba and Chiuchin.
About the Communities
Mayobamba is a town in Checras that sits on the Andean slopes around 3,400 meters above the town of Chiuchin, which resides at 2,400 meters (p. 1). Mayobamba consists of more residents, around 450, while Chiuchin has about 250 (p. 1). Both communities contain Quechua and Spanish speaking individuals. Mayobamba is also considered an agricultural town, whereas Chiuchin is known for trade. However, both towns are rather small “settlements” (p. 1). Both communities lack electric power, sewage, or “potable” water (p. 1). Although marginalization occurs in both places, it is vastly different per town because of the economic differences.
Marginalization in Mayobamba
Because Mayobamba is an agricultural town, the only way a woman can gain access to economy is through her marriage and the access acquired to “private land” through that marriage or land acquired by inheritance (p. 24). Basically, the wealth of women in Mayobamba is acquired through marriage. It is common for the women in this area to work on family farms, raise livestock, as well as attend to “heavy household duties” (p. 37). However, although the women work on their family farms, they are very limited in their access to the cash produced. Therefore, it inhibits them from creating individual farms and restricts them to merely working on those family farms.
Marginalization in Chiuchin
Chiuchin is viewed as a more productive town compared to Mayobamba, therefore, there are more opportunities for women and opportunities that do not exist in the other town. Women are actually celebrated on Mother’s Day. They get dressed up, cook food, and the men drink. Because the community specializes in trade, the women are involved in the cash associated with commerce and have jobs considered “full-time” (p. 37). However, although that is the case, there is a lack of access women have to land because the community is not considered “formal” (p. 37). There are also provisions to the types of jobs women have in the marketplace. For example, they are usually placed in jobs as “domestic servants… or as merchants with fixed stalls in the market” (p. 38). It is also common for women to settle on wages.
The information provided by this source led me to searching for patterns associated with differences in marginalization based on the type of community that is discussed. As I read in this book, although marginalization is common amongst Andean women, that marginalization differs depending on the economy of the community.
Source: Bourque, S. C., & Warren, K. B. (1981). Women of the Andes: Patriarchy and Social Change in Two Peruvian Towns. The University of Michigan Press.