Procesos de empoderamiento y participación de las mujeres rurales del cantón Cuenca

Abstract

In rural parishes of Cuenca, patriarchal idiosyncrasy rules. In this context, participation of men and women in social life is debated. It is women who have had to overcome the barriers of subordination to engage in activities outside the private field. The family and the community have been the environments where power relations have been consolidated, limiting the free exercise of women's right to participate. These barriers, loaded with precepts from the patriarchal system, have served to question women, to debase them and even to transgress them when they try to enter public spaces. The involvement of women in the political sphere is criticized and questioned by their social environment and even by their own family, because in this context of power, women are there only to “fill a position on a list”, i.e. to occupy second places. Therefore, their opportunities to be elected as representatives of the community are minimal. These have been the scenarios in which rural women have managed to develop empowerment processes. Motivated by unsatisfied needs and in search of the common good, they have been involved in spaces that have allowed them to develop their capacities and potentials. Being able to do that, as well as to interact with authorities, to manage, train, and support other women, and to generate entrepreneurship, among others, are the characteristics of empowerment for rural women.