Social Roles and Relationships of Power

“What is the economic value of work that woman perform in the home?”  This was one of the questions we explored in a recent Andean Collection artisan training workshop on Social Roles and Relationships of Power which explored the dynamics of gender in the context of the family and work.

While traditional cultural norms place higher value on paid work that happens outside the home,  15 Andean Collection artisans, assistants and their family members explored how much a family actually ‘saves’ by having a woman working in the home, rather than having to hire someone to do all that housework.  My discussion group came up with a list of unpaid chores that included:

• Washing dishes
• Preparing meals
• Caring for children
• Cleaning the house
• Sleeping with your husband

This last point was greeted with quite a bit of laughter and the hearty agreement that, yes, it definitely does need to be included on the list.

Later in the afternoon we also spent some time discussing the more difficult subject of domestic violence stemming from a lack of power in interpersonal relationships.  Tragically, gender based violence is frequent. As reported by the government’s statistical service, 25% women in Ecuador have been a victim of sexual violence and 38% of women in Ecuador have been victims of physical violence (and 78% of that at the hands of their domestic partner).

This is a sensitive topic; one unfortunately is a reality for some artisans and their families.  We approached it carefully, talking about ‘how to help a friend who might be in this situation.’  Although, still this is a hard question, as there are few to no structural supports (such as a strong police response or safe shelters) for men or women in domestic violence situations, so we stressed the need to provide personal supports to family or friends in danger.  The group also shared ideas on how to teach your children never to accept any form of violence in their future homes and relationships.  Without being asked, some individuals voluntarily shared their personal experiences with domestic violence, how it affected them, and how they were finally able to escape the situation.   The courage of these individuals is inspiring, as they have risen above extremely difficult circumstances to serve as an example of strength to their children.