In our latest Insight, EiT volunteer Chyara Alvarado López summarises research from the highlands of Guatemala, where tourism is creating both opportunities and challenges for Maya women.
Tourism often frames itself as a pursuit of joy and leisure, but what about those who make it possible? That question inspired research by Chantell LaPan, Duarte B. Morais, Tim Wallace, Carla Barbieri, and Myron F. Floyd, which spotlights tourism workers – particularly those at the crossroads of gender, culture, and opportunity.
In two neighbouring Maya towns in Guatemala, San Juan La Laguna and San Pedro La Laguna, tourism has become a space where traditional gender roles are both challenged and reinforced.
Neighbouring Towns, Differing Opportunities
The towns differ in their approach to tourism. San Pedro attracts backpackers with its informal, independent tourism model. This has opened doors for women to engage in roles like waitressing or tour guiding. However, these informal settings often lack the structural support for sustained empowerment.
San Juan, in contrast, has embraced community-based tourism. Women here benefit from cooperatives and artisan networks that provide structured support, leadership roles, and economic independence. Still, the emphasis on traditional crafts can reinforce gendered labour roles.
So, San Pedro offers more individual freedom, while San Juan provides a collective framework – each with its own trade-offs.
The Research Approach
In their study, LaPan et al. (2021) asked locals to identify jobs suitable for men and women. Responses reflected traditional norms – men with farming or guiding, women with craft-making and caregiving. But tourism is changing these dynamics.
In San Juan, the cooperative model gave women leadership roles and increased visibility. These shifts expanded women’s influence both at home and in public life, gradually redefining power dynamics.
Women’s vs Men’s Roles in Guatemala’s Tourism Industry
Women’s Roles
Weaving remains a staple income for Maya women, but tourism has broadened opportunities. In San Juan, cooperatives offered leadership and collaborative platforms but still emphasised traditional crafts.
“Tourism creates spaces of negotiation that spur, or enable, cultural change”
The cooperative model’s strength lies in community. Women are empowered through collaboration, skill-building, and leadership, while still aligning with cultural values. This hybrid model supports both economic empowerment and cultural preservation.
Men’s Roles
Men mostly remain in farming, but in San Pedro, many transitioned into guiding and restaurant work – roles tied to traditional masculinity and public visibility. These roles are seen as more prestigious and align with established gender norms.
In San Juan, where community-based tourism is more prominent, men’s roles in the cooperatives are often managerial or technical, while women dominate craft production and customer-facing services. This division maintains gendered labour roles but also opens the door for men to engage in more collaborative economic activities. Over time, the economic shifts brought by tourism could potentially challenge traditional masculinity, offering new ways for men and women to redefine their roles in both the public and private spheres.
The Dual Workload for Maya Women in Tourism
Women now navigate not only paid labour and caregiving, but also the demands of cultural preservation and community involvement – a phenomenon researchers call the “fourth shift.” This multitasking, while empowering, can be physically and emotionally draining as women navigate both paid labour and the demands of family life.
The structure of cooperatives offers some relief, providing flexibility and support. Still, domestic duties largely remain women’s responsibility, making work-life balance a persistent challenge.
An Opportunity for Change Through Tourism
In both San Juan and San Pedro, women now contribute financially, participate in decision-making, and hold more visible roles in their communities. Yet, economic empowerment in these cases hasn’t always translated into full equality. Where gains have been made and women’s roles are expanding, the expectations placed upon them have also multiplied.
But as this research shows, there is potential for tourism in the Guatemalan Highlands to be more than a source of income and to inspire a rethinking of gender roles. Change is not only possible but underway.
Still, long-term equality depends on structural changes that facilitate – not just celebrate – the progress of Maya women within the industry. For example, promoting cooperative tourism models over neoliberal ones, ensuring gender-balanced job opportunities, and offering flexible, rotating work schedules that allow women to balance paid and domestic work.
Establishing dedicated workspaces outside the home also helps create boundaries between labour and household responsibilities, while targeted inclusion efforts ensure marginalised women benefit from tourism initiatives. Such measures enable tourism to become a genuinely transformative force for Maya women, beyond symbolic recognition.
By continuing to listen, learn and adapt, tourism can serve as a powerful force for equity and empowerment in these remarkable communities.
Written by Chyara Alvarado López
Chyara Alvarado López is a committed researcher and advocate for inclusive education, with interdisciplinary experience spanning tourism, education, and content creation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism from the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, with a focus on cultural heritage and accessible tourism, and is currently pursuing a second degree in Education. Her academic background is complemented by specialised training in teaching, inclusion, and digital innovation.
