‘All My Animals Are Equal, but None Can Survive without the Horse’. The Contribution of Working Equids to the Livelihoods of Women across Six Communities in the Chimaltenango Region of Guatemala

Abstract

It is widely assumed that working equid husbandry is carried out by men, and women are often not recognised as facilitating equid welfare. The aim of this study is to investigate how working equids contribute to women’s livelihoods in six of the World Horse Welfare programme target communities in Guatemala and determine what roles women have in their care. Thirty-four face-to-face interviews were carried out and data were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. This study found that working equids support women by reducing domestic drudgery, generating income, feeding livestock and saving time. Thirty-two women played a major role in the care of one or more equids, and overall, women did not feel that they knew enough about equid husbandry. Thirty-one women said they would attend training opportunities if the advertising was clear and they felt that women were able to join. This study recognises the contribution of working equids to women’s livelihoods, describes the roles women play in equid husbandry and addresses the discrepancies between women’s roles and their capacity to undertake these tasks. This emphasises the need for extension services to include and cater for women, improving equid welfare and their ability to continue supporting women’s livelihoods.

Owners’ Knowledge and Approaches to Colic in Working Equids in Honduras

“…Gender roles were not explored in detail in this study, but women are still likely to be involved in care and use of the equids. In another study in Central America [36], it was found that whilst women were not considered the 'owner', equids were often used by women to help with household chores, and over 90% of women in this study reported that they were responsible for primary care of the equid, including providing food and water provisions. These women also reported they did not attend training sessions arranged by World Horse Welfare since they were not the 'owner'.…”

“…The days lost in work due to illness, injury, or death, are likely to have a significant effect on the owner and their communities. This is a concern that has been voiced by equine owners and keepers in other studies [35,36].…”

The Global Contributions of Working Equids to Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihoods in Agenda 2030

“…Income from working animals helps women pay for household essentials and can be a factor in gender empowerment. Women are frequently the caregivers for WE (Vasanthakumar et al 2021 ).…”

Means of Livelihood, Clean Environment to Women Empowerment: The Multi-Faceted Role of Donkeys

“…This is in addition to the traditional, arduous, and time-consuming chores such as fetching fuel wood or water from distant places, tasks which are undertaken exclusively by rural women [ 27 ]. The spared drudgery and time from using equids enables women to participate in social or community activities, earn an additional income, or gain some much-needed rest [ 42 ]; for example, according to a study conducted by [ 12 ], in a comparison of the daily routine of two Maasai women it was found that the one using donkeys for household chores saved almost 25 h a week compared to the one who managed all the activities herself. Women rely on donkeys to carry out tasks they would otherwise have to perform themselves, from collecting water, tilling the land, and transporting goods which enables them to be economically active and increase their community status and personal resilience.…”