Abstract
To empower women, it is necessary to better understand the power dynamics they are involved in. The objective of this paper is to analyse intrapersonal power dynamics of women with their husbands in San Felipe del Progreso, a poor and marginalised indigenous community in Mexico State, Mexico. A framework is used that distinguishes between the mechanisms that are used to enforce power and their visibility, using the forms of power proposed by (Gaventa 2011). To achieve the objective, in-depth interviews and focus groups were applied to women of four towns in the area. Power relations related to four fundamental aspects of women´s lives were assessed; women’s mobility, women’s contraceptive use, women’s sexual relations with their husbands, and household decisions on income and expenditures. Results indicate that men and women use different forms and mechanisms of power due to gendered social norms and differences in the control and access to resources.
Highlights
To empower women, it is necessary to better understand the power dynamics they are involved in
Power relations related to four fundamental aspects of womens lives were assessed; women’s mobility, women’s contraceptive use, women’s sexual relations with their husbands, and household decisions on income and expenditures
A large percentage of them are illiterate, have low levels of education, are undernourished and have health problems. They have little power, meaning they lack freedom to choose between different fundamental aspects of their lives, such as their sexuality, their movement, to work outside their home, household expenses, how to distribute their time, and on their control of household income and assets, etc
Summary
It is necessary to better understand the power dynamics they are involved in. A large percentage of them are illiterate, have low levels of education, are undernourished and have health problems They have little power, meaning they lack freedom to choose between different fundamental aspects of their lives, such as their sexuality, their movement, to work outside their home, household expenses, how to distribute their time, and on their control of household income and assets, etc. These restrictions have a direct effect on their well-being and on their access to opportunities and resources that could allow them to escape poverty International agencies, governments and NGOs, have promoted women’s empowerment, the process by which women can make strategic life choices (Mishra, 2000; Mosendale, 2005a; Malapit, et al 2019)
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