Gender Roles and Related Work in Guatemala

Walking back from a school this morning, in the center of my town, a guy catcalled me. He made that prolonged kissing noise which I find to be the most disgusting and offensive. I usually ignore them, but not today. Unfortunately my brain doesn't work that quickly in Spanish when I'm angry, but I said something along the lines of: "Excuse me. You shouldn't talk to women like that. You need to respect us." And walked away. Which I don't think is too bad considering I always want to shout back: "has that ever worked for you?!?" This is nothing new for me or my female friends here in Guatemala. I know I will miss it here, but sometimes I am so ready to leave. I know that cat calling happens in the United States, but not with the frequency that it happens here. Hardy Girls Healthy Women, a non-profit I volunteered for in Maine, just posted this picture (below) which I felt was fitting.

Fellow PCVs and I put on a gender conference in the center of Xela. The title of this event was "A Celebration of Women Leaders and the Men whom Support Them." Over 50 Host Country Nationals attended this event to discuss gender themes relevant to Guatemala including: positive masculinity, traditional gender roles and its effects, stigma and discrimination,  gender equity in your work, healthy relationships, and domestic violence. I assisted with the planning and execution of the event as well as a photography activity which prompted participants to showcase why they fight for women's rights.

Responses from top left to bottom right: I fight for women's rights because: they are God's creation, I'm not Machista, we should be respected, I want every one to be able to walk on the street without risk.

On March 7, Peace Corps Guatemala put on the Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler in the municipal theater in Xela with 12 volunteers, 16 Guatemalan counterparts, and over 300 people in attendance. The show raised almost $300 for the local non-profit Pies de Occidente (Feet of the West) which is the association for health promotion, research, and education. The monologues were performed in Spanish and two Mayan languages. I had seen a college production once before, but this was my first time participating in the monologues. I participated in the introduction, a group monologue (yes I know that is an oxymoron), and the final dance. The monologues range from funny to happy to sad. There are monologues about orgasms (the sounds of the "different kinds" demonstrated on stage - these can be funny such as: the student where she moans that she should be studying, etc), female genital mutilation and the "happy fact" about the clitoris. 

Here are some of my favorite lines from the introduction (translated into English):

1: There are so many secrets and much mystery around them [vaginas]
2: It is like the bermuda triangle 
3: No one returns from reporting there

...

1: The names we give them [vaginas]  

2: and the names that we don't give them

3: In Xela, they call them papusa.

4: and in Antigua, they call them, but they don't come.

The beautiful theater in Xela

A Mayan woman giving her monologue in Mam (a Mayan dialect)

The cast

The orgasm

In the news this week was a story about a 15-year-old from rural Guatemala whom spoke in front of the U.N. about: "the obstacles girls face in her community and how she and [her friend] persuaded the mayor to implement and fund policies that would help." She said that: "The biggest problems we face as adolescents in my community are early pregnancy, [child]birth, sexual violation and lack of education and health care." Although this girl lives in a different part of the country, I have noticed these similar problems. Guatemala is definitely a male-dominated society and I'm so glad that girls like here don't get discouraged and keep on pushing for what they deserve and are frequently denied. Check out the full article here: 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2015/03/12/392174520/meet-the-15-year-old-from-rural-guatemala-who-addressed-the-u-n 

Finally, I came across this fun short Buzzfeed video about guys trying on high heels for the first time: 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/caitlincowie/guys-wear-heels-for-the-first-time#.kpx9WzQKOD