Gender Roles in Christine Ebers Women and Alcohol in a...

Gender Roles in Christine Ebers Women and Alcohol in a Highland Mayan Town It is apparent from Christine Ebers research in her work, Women and Alcohol in a Highland Maya Town, that the gender roles and relations for men and women in the town of Chenalho have gone through somewhat dramatic changes since the 1960s and 1970s. They have gone from clearly defined roles for both men and women, to a more skewed framework that allows for a great deal of gray area. These roles have not only changed within the household and community, but also outside of them. The effects of these shifts in gender roles can be identified in relation to the Pedranos traditional belief structure, the influence of religion, and the use/misuse of alcohol in†¦show more content†¦Indeed, it is said that men and women are indispensable to each other. They are given duties upon marriage that are handed down from their parents that dictate their required role in the family and community. However, men have historically been able to manipulate and take advantage of the patriarcha l system. Until recently, that is. With the beginning of the 1980s came the introduction of a debt crisis. This put extraordinary financial strain on a community that prided itself on self-reliance and providing all that ones family needs through farming. However, with the added financial burden, farming as a sole means of survival was not a viable solution. Therefore, women were forced to take a much greater role as a provider for the family. They were able to take on this role through selling agricultural products, and making and selling weavings, pottery, and chichi. In addition to an increased provider role, women were also taking on many more duties around the house and with the children. Due to the reduced credit and skyrocketing prices, men were forced to spend more and more time away from home working on coffee, sugar cane, or cattle plantations. Women would have to go weeks at a time without the presence of her husband in the household. The increasing occurrences of this, led to a growing feeling of independence and resourcefulness among the women of the community. Men were