Implications of gender and household roles in Indigenous Maya communities in Guatemala for child nutrition interventions

Abstract

Guatemala's Indigenous Maya population suffers from some of the highest rates of chronic child malnutrition (stunting) in the world. Most attempts to improve child nutrition in this context target mothers for behavioural interventions. In this study, we use focus group data from two Indigenous Maya communities to explore gender and intra-household power dynamics as they relate to child-rearing practices and to nutritional decision-making, including food purchasing. Findings of the study show that mothers are not autonomous with regard to child rearing and nutrition decision-making. In particular, paternal grandmothers are authoritative sources of knowledge and exert significant power over food-purchasing decisions. Furthermore, men overestimate the degree to which decision-making is shared with their wives, and the economic contributions that mothers make to household budgets often go unrecognized. These findings underscore that nutritional interventions in Indigenous Maya communities must be sensitive to the traditional intra-household authority structure and seek to engage not only mothers, but also fathers and paternal grandmothers in a productive collaboration. Furthermore, efforts must be made to increase recognition of the economic contributions of the mother to the household budget, and to recognize the implications of such economic work in terms of constraints on the mother's availability for childcare.

Higher agrobiodiversity is associated with improved dietary diversity, but not child anthropometric status, of Mayan Achí people of Guatemala

“…However, in some regions, such as Guatemala, food is preferably allocated to older boys, men and elders ( 33 ) . Nutritional education and empowerment of women can also help to overcome the poor understanding and awareness of undernutrition ( 103 , 104 ) and the unequal allocation of food within members of the household ( 33 , 104 , 105 ) .…”

Acceptance and Impact of Point‐of‐Use Water Filtration Systems in Rural Guatemala

“…Promotoras are respected leaders in the community who take on the role of health promotion. Wher, Chary, Webb, and Rohloff () examined the impact of gender and household roles in the Maya culture on behavior change. While the woman's primary role was to take care of the household and family, men and the paternal grandmother controlled household finances.…”

Fathering Within Transnational and Mixed-Status Mayan Families: An Exploratory Study

“…Some demonstrate women's increased protagonism. For example, Wehr, Chary, Webb, and Rohloff (2014) found that paternal grandmothers make multiple domestic decisions in the context of cross-border family relationships and that men in these families also perceive themselves to be actively involved in decisions pertaining to children. Falla (2008) also found that some returned migrant women in Guatemala placed particular emphasis on their daughters' education, encouraging them to advance to professional positions to achieve economic independence.…”