streets as she did as a young woman or speak directly to men other than her husband. Her life

story did not differ greatly from those of many Ladino women: women of both groups tend to

occupy similar gender roles under a similar set of expectations; they both endure the tyranny and

imbalance of power caused by machismo. Despite their similarities, many Maya women suffer

more than Ladinas because of impoverishment and a heavier workload.

 The materialist approach to gender relations is applicable to transnational migration as it

illustrates the impact of capitalist expansion on women and men and on their families and

communities. According to the economic model for female subordination, the farther the woman

is from the mode of production, the more likely she is to remain in the role of subordinate-the

traditional position for Guatemalan women (Margolis 2004). The theory suggests that when

women have an increased access to cash-in this case through remittances-they alter their

traditional gender role, thus acquiring more power and control over their lives. The study

confirms this supposition, with the caveat that women become more powerful only if they have

direct access and unimpeded control of the resource (Sanday 1973).

Women's Physical Mobility

 The degree of a woman's physical mobility is another important indicator of her status.

Bossen was correct in her assertion that Maya women have more physical mobility than Ladina

women, but this mobility is relative to their class status and life stage (1984). In San Pedro

Pinula, Maya women regularly fetch water or go to the local market, and thus travel more than

Ladino women, yet they are always accompanied by other women or relatives. Young unmarried

women are generally not allowed to travel unaccompanied, even within the village. Ladino

women rarely leave their homes, as they have their servants do all their shopping and errands.

Maya servants-whose reputations are already questionable due to their socio-economic status

and the increased sexual accessibility it implies-are able to walk around the community