Women´s self-perception and men´s perception of the empowerment and work of women producers of mezcal and mezcal-derived flavored liquor in Santiago Zoochila, Oaxaca, México

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze, from a feminist perspective, the empowerment and value perception of the work performed by women in the production of mezcal and its by-products in a rural community in Oaxaca. It was a qualitative study that addressed the women’s view through their self-perception and men’s perception of them. A semi-structured interview divided into eight areas and a questionnaire were applied to measure the empowerment based on two validated scales through nine factors. As a result, women participate widely in activities such as preparation and distribution of food, production, and commercialization of mezcal and mezcal-derived liquors, and the time they invest was from 10 to 14 hours a day, which is interpreted as a high workload. A 94.7 score of self-perception and perception of women´s empowerment was found, out of 138 points. The study concludes that although women’s participation in the production of mezcal and its by-products is wide and their level of empowerment ranges from medium to high, an improvement in their self-appraisal has not been possible due to their heavy care workload.  A limitation of this research is it case study approach and thus findings cannot be be generalized to the population. The originality of this works relies on the research approach which addressed women’s and their partners’ view on a topic related to a work considered exclusively done by men.