Empowerment and women's cooperativism: three case studies of women-led cooperatives in Mexico City

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study the empowerment phenomenon from experiences in cooperative societies led by women in Mexico City, to inquire about their practices, and to know the stories about their businesses, challenges, and possible manifestations of gender discrimination. Three case studies are presented. A semi-structured interview was applied to women who are involved in a training program for cooperative societies given by the Mexico City’s Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion. It was found that women have suffered discrimination mainly in their families, as well as in the labor sphere because they decided to exercise their right to maternity, along with their lack of permanence in the latter and the lack of legitimacy to their work as businesswomen by the simple fact of being women.