Multiple disadvantages of Mayan females: The effects of gender, ethnicity, poverty, and residence on education in Guatemala

Although access to primary education in Guatemala has increased in recent years, particularly in rural areas, levels of educational attainment and literacy remain among the lowest in Latin America. Inequalities in school access and grade attainment linked to ethnicity, gender, poverty, and residence remain. Age trends show that Mayan females are the least likely to ever enroll, and, if they do enroll, start school the latest and drop out earliest. Innovative programs for girls that combine instruction with social interaction in safe local community spaces may increase their educational attainment and their social networks and means of social support. In such programs, acquiring and mobilizing the support of the community and working with known and trusted Mayan organizations are likely to improve their cultural acceptability, effectiveness, and sustainability

Assessing the multiple disadvantages of Mayan girls: The effects of gender, ethnicity, poverty, and residence on education in Guatemala

Although access to primary education in Guatemala has increased in recent years, particularly in rural areas, rates of primary-school completion and literacy for young people remain among the lowest in Latin America, and problems such as late entry, grade repetition, and early dropout persist. Adult literacy is estimated to be 85 percent in Latin America as a whole, compared with 70 percent in Guatemala. Although indigenous peoples in Latin America generally have less schooling than nonindigenous peoples, ethnic differences are greatest in Guatemala, where indigenous (Mayan) adults have less than half the level of schooling of nonindigenous (Ladino) adults. Recent trends show that the ethnic gap is narrowing among young people, but large inequalities remain. Mayan females are the most disadvantaged group by far, and just two-thirds of 10–19-year-old Mayan females are literate. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 16 reports on Mayan girls’ school enrollment, grade progression, and educational attainment, along with policies for attracting and keeping Mayan girls in school

Additional conference abstracts

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43490/1/11111_2005_Article_BF02208413.pd

Population, gender and the environment

Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/114290/1/39015052046920.pd

Economic change and individual well -being in Thailand: An examination of health and *education.

Since July of 1997, Thailand has been experiencing an economic downturn. There remains a lack of understanding as to the effects of the downturn on the lives of individual Thais, particularly regarding health and education. Negative effects on these aspects of social welfare may lead to negative long-term consequences for individuals and for the country as a whole. An individual's access to health and education services likely depends upon the particular situation of that individual in the context of their country of residence, specifically depending upon the characteristics of the individual, the nature of the crisis, and the government's ability to provide these services. Access to these social services may also be quite selective based upon the level and type of service desired. This dissertation provides systematic evidence of the short-term effects of the economic downturn on reproductive health care services, educational enrollment, and fertility limiting behavior in Thailand. Regarding education, I examine adolescent enrollment at the secondary and tertiary level using data from the Labor Force Survey, 1995--1998. I then examine the government's provision of reproductive health services. I examine the effects of the crisis on Thailand's reproductive health policy and its implementation at all levels of administration in three provinces of Thailand as perceived by providers and administrators using qualitative data. I also examine the relationship between the economic downturn and Thai women's use of contraception and willingness to abort with closed-ended interviews with married women aged 15--39 from a purposive sample from three provinces of Thailand in both rural and urban areas. Although there has been much speculation regarding the negative effects of the recent economic downturn in Southeast Asia, I found only small changes in two of my measures of social well-being: educational enrollment and reproductive health care services provision. I then found only a weak relationship between the economic downturn and my measures of fertility limiting behavior. Since I measure short-term change, however, we must recognize that if these small effects or weak relationships are not addressed, it is possible that long-term consequences will result.Ph.D.DemographyPublic policySocial SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128433/2/3029413.pd

Can prostitutes marry? Thai attitudes toward female sex workers

This study explores popular attitudes towards female sex workers in Thailand by examining the general public's perceptions of a prostitute's ability to marry based on focus group data. The tentative conclusion emerging from our findings that the general public believes sex workers can marry is that a relative lack of severe or lasting social stigma is an important part of a Thai context that facilitates recruitment into prostitution and permits it to persist on a widespread scale. We interpret this conclusion in terms of the broader value system in Thai society. Although our findings are implicitly comparative in nature, a lack of comparable information from other countries on how those who provide commercial sex are viewed by the general population prevents a more definitive conclusion. There is an obvious need for research on this topic as well as on how sex workers view themselves, and how this translates into actual behavior. Data set used: focus group transcripts from the project "Theinfluence of primary female partners and male peers on male extramarital sexual behavior in Thailand".prostitution marriage AIDS commercial sex Thai values Thailand

Causas de bajos logros educacionales y transición temprana a la edad adulta en Guatemala

Aunque la asistencia a la escuela y los logros educacionales en Guatemala son bajos al compararse con otros países de América Latina, son las mujeres mayas quienes experimentan una situación de mayor desventaja. Tradicionalmente, la información detallada sobre demografía, educación y estilo de vida de los adolescentes en Guatemala ha sido escasa. La mayor parte de los estudios sobre bienestar se enfocan a los niños o a las mujeres en edad de crianza, siendo pocos los estudios dedicados a los años intermedios. Aprovechando los datos representativos de una encuesta de hogares, este estudio examina los patrones de escolaridad y matrimonio de los adolescentes indígenas y los compara con patrones de mujeres no indígenas y de varones indígenas. En Guatemala, la escolaridad y el bienestar de las y los adolescentes, especialmente de los mayas, constituyen una preocupación creciente del gobierno, las ONG y los actores bilaterales. Esta investigación contribuirá a determinar de qué modolas políticas y programas se pueden diseñar y orientar de manera más efectiva a fin de mejorar la educación de las mujeres mayas. --- Although school attendance and educational attainment in Guatemala are low compared to other Latin American countries, it is Mayan women who experience the greatest disadvantage. Traditionally, detailed information on the demographics, education, and lifestyle of adolescents in Guatemala has been scarce. Most of the studies on well-being focus on children or women of child-rearing age, with few studies devoted to the middle years. Drawing on representative data from a household survey, this study examines the patterns of schooling and marriage of indigenous adolescents and compares them with patterns of non-indigenous women and indigenous men. In Guatemala, schooling and the well-being of adolescents, especially the Mayans, are a growing concern of the government, NGOs, and bilateral actors. This research will help determine how policies and programs can be designed and targeted more effectively to improve the education of Mayan women

Evaluación de las múltiples desventajas de las niñas mayas: efectos del género, el origen étnico, la pobreza y el lugar de residencia sobre la educación en Guatemala

Aunque el acceso a la educación primaria en Guatemala se incrementó en los últimos años, especialmente en las áreas rurales, los índices de finalización de escuela primaria y de alfabetismo corespondeientes a personas jóvenes continúan estando entre los más bajos de Latinoamérica, y persisten otros problemas como el ingreso tardío, la repetición de cursos y el abandono temprano. Se estima que el índice de alfabetismo entre adultos es del 85 por ciento en Latinoamérica en general, comparado con sólo un 70 por ciento en Guatemala. Aunque los pueblos indígenas en Latinoamérica por lo general tienen menos escolaridad que los no indígenas, las diferencias étnicas son mayores en Guatemala, donde los adultos indígenas (mayas) tienen menos de la mitad del nivel de escolaridad que los adultos no indígenas (ladinos). Las tendencias recientes muestran que el vacío étnica se está reduciendo entre los jóvenes; sin embargo, persisten grandes desigualdades. Las mujeres mayas constituyen el grupo más desfavorecido, y solo dos tercios de esas de 10 a 19 años de edad están elfabetizadas. Promoción de transiciones a la vida adulta: Sanas, seguras y productivas N° 16 informa sobre los factores determinantes de matriculación escolar, progresión de grados y logros educativos de las niñas mayas, junto con políticas para atraer y mantener a las niñas mayas en la escuela. --- Although access to primary education in Guatemala has increased in recent years, particularly in rural areas, rates of primary-school completion and literacy for young people remain among the lowest in Latin America, and problems such as late entry, grade repetition, and early dropout persist. Adult literacy is estimated to be 85 percent in Latin America as a whole, compared with 70 percent in Guatemala. Although indigenous peoples in Latin America generally have less schooling than nonindigenous peoples, ethnic differences are greatest in Guatemala, where indigenous (Mayan) adults have less than half the level of schooling of nonindigenous (Ladino) adults. Recent trends show that the ethnic gap is narrowing among young people, but large inequalities remain. Mayan females are the most disadvantaged group by far, and just two-thirds of 10–19-year-old Mayan females are literate. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 16 reports on Mayan girls’ school enrollment, grade progression, and educational attainment, along with policies for attracting and keeping Mayan girls in school

Voices of vulnerable and underserved adolescents in Guatemala: A summary of the qualitative study \u27Understanding the lives of indigenous young people in Guatemala\u27

In Guatemala, where poverty, inequality, and ethnic and gender discrimination are prevalent and where over 40 percent of the country’s 11 million inhabitants are under age 15, the transition from childhood to adulthood is often characterized by severe social, economic, and health problems. Existing data indicate that adolescent girls in Guatemala—most specifically indigenous girls—suffer from the highest rates of school desertion, early and unwanted pregnancy, malnutrition, illiteracy, and limited life options. Access to health, education, and other services is lacking or inadequate for indigenous adolescents in Guatemala, and often plagued by barriers including lack of financial resources, language, discrimination, and deeply engrained cultural traditions and beliefs that perpetuate gender inequity. This report focuses on qualitative, ethnographic research findings from a study conducted by the Population Council in 2003 with young Mayan women and men aged 12–19. Participatory methods were chosen to allow participants to explain in their own words what living and growing up in their communities is like, what they aspire to, what challenges they face, and what opportunities they are able to identify