Gender Issues at the Columbia Opportunity Center

In Columbia Village, young girls have heavier responsibilities than their brothers, since families are large and mothers need help as they scrub piles of clothing daily on stones at the river and cook rice and beans and bake corn tortillas on open fires. Dishes need to be done and younger children and babies need to be cared for. Although boys are often asked to help with the chores, girls imitate their mothers early and take on increasingly larger shares of the domestic duties as they grow up. The young boys have more free time since they are not yet strong enough to travel to their fathers' farms and chop the bush with machetes all day long in the hot sun. Consequently, many more boys than girls usually participate in our weekend activities for children.

Similarly, teenaged girls and young women enjoy fewer freedoms than their brothers. Parents are often very protective of their daughters, especially after dark, so homework at the computer lab must be finished early. Often, though, there isn't time at all due to domestic responsibilities.

It is our ongoing goal to find ways for girls and women to more equally enjoy the benefits of the Columbia Opportunity Center. Engaging in conversations with their parents is useful, though often the parents agree with us but just cannot spare the help. We are continuing to explore possibilities.

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