Emigrant Widows of Tajikistan and Guatemala: Where Structural Poverty and Structural Repression of Women Intersect

Guatemala and Tajikistan are two countries located in different geographical regions, but they appear to have similarities. Guatemala serves as a link in the illegal drug trafficking route between the world’s highest cocaine producers, Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, and the United States. Tajikistan receives the bulk of heroin and opium from Afghanistan, the world’s highest producer of the two narcotics, much of which is destined for Russia. Additionally, Transparency International’s 2018 corruption perceptions index ranked Guatemala at 144 and Tajikistan at 152 out of 180 countries, placing both countries among the top third in terms of governmental corruption. Yet, reported crime rates in both countries are low to mid-range compared to many other countries. Many men in both countries emigrate for work, with migrant Tajikistanis overwhelmingly choosing Russia as their destination and Guatemalans seeking work in Mexico or the United States. At the same time, existing literature on both countries indicates high levels of social and/or institutional oppression of women, intrafamilial violence, often directed towards women, and endemic poverty, especially in rural regions. Thus, how do structural limitations affect the social and economic opportunity of “emigrant widows,” or women in these countries whose intimate partners have left them to find work outside the country? This qualitative study focuses on this question. It also examines other phenomena, including drug trafficking and government corruption, which may or may not affect the lives of these women, termed “emigrant widows,” but which may share common contributing factors. The data is presented via an ethnographic portrait of emigrant widows based on qualitative data gleaned through a series of semi-structured field interviews with emigrant widows, social workers, and gender experts in each country. The data is contextualized in a framework of existent relevant scholarly literature and articles and reports produced by governmental organizations, news sources, and non-governmental organizations.