Abstract

SANCHEZ ESPINDOLA, Mónica Marisol; CHAVEZ MEJIA, Cristina  and  VIZCARRA BORDI, Ivonne. Ahí te encargo el cargo: Empoderamiento o feminización de los sistemas de cargo en la organización de la festividad de la virgen de Guadalupe en La Laja, Querétaro. La ventana [online]. 2010, vol.4, n.31, pp.172-213. ISSN 1405-9436.

In Mexico, the "in-charge" system has historically been represented by men. However, when the men emigrate towards the United States, the responsibility can fall on the women of the family. The aim of this paper is to identify changes in the gender relations between women and men in charge of organizing the festivity of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12 in La Laja, Queretaro, Mexico, in a context of international masculine migration. It is an ethnographic study on this festivity through direct participant observation and in-depth interviews. In the absence of their husbands, women make individual and group decisions in order to fulfill their religious duties. Because of these new responsibilities, there would seem to be some elements that empower women. Nevertheless, the traditional gender relations keep on being reproduced, undermining the advances made towards the women’s autonomy. The women’s compulsory participation in the "in-charge" system subjects them to further feminization of gender inequalities.

Keywords : "In-charge" system; gender relations; international migration; empowerment; feminization of poverty.