Turismo rural comunitario, género y desarrollo en comunidades campesinas e indígenas del sur del Perú

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to contribute to   the   debate   on   the   potential   of   tourism   as   a   strategy   for   improving   gender  equity  and  the  empowerment  of  indigenous  rural  women  in  Latin  America. We present some of the results of   an   ethnographic   research   project   conducted in four communitarian rural tourism associations located in Quechua peasant  communities  in  the  regions  of  Cuzco and Puno in southern Peru. To  what  extent  does  participation  in  these projects contribute to questioning the    roles    traditionally    ascribed    to    women?    Our    conclusion    is    that,    although women’s participation in these projects contributes to the diversification of household income, it has not altered the traditional gender division of labor. The   factors   that   better   explain   the   success  or  failure  of  these  enterprises  are  improved  connections  with  urban  centers,  the  higher  educational  level  of  the  younger  generation,  their  presence  within  the  tourist  circuits  of  southern  Peru,  and  their  greater  ease  in  dealings  with  foreigners.  Finally,  the  lack  of  a  gender  focus  in  the  projects  analyzed  is  crucial for explaining their low effect on gender equity and the empowerment of women.