Affiliations: Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA. Lake
County Educational Service Center, Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation
and Developmental Disabilities
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Bette R. Bonder, Ph.D., OTR/L,
FAOTA, Department of Health Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid
Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA. Tel.: +1 216 687 5580; Fax: +1 216 687 9316;
E-mail: b.bonder@csuohio.edu
Abstract: Objective: The purpose of this paper is to describe women's work in
Maya communities in the Guatemala Highlands, along with some of the trends
accompanying the rapid societal change there. Method: Over the course of six years, observations and interviews
focused on two specific groups of women. The first were traditional, home-based
women, the second, teachers in a primary school. Resulting transcripts and
field notes were analyzed by the researchers to identify themes related to the
women's perspectives on work, the patterns of their work activities, and the
importance of work in their lives. Women who had been interviewed were asked to
reflect on the themes identified. Results: All the women engaged in paid work activities and were
responsible for obligatory tasks in the home. The traditional group preserved
the tradition of weaving, but remained largely illiterate, while the emerging
group was literate, but did not learn to weave. Conclusion: Cultural change is both positive and negative, as
described by these women. It is important to understand the particular values
of the culture, and to recognize that these may not conform to Western (that is
to say US.) beliefs and practices.
