Environmental Perception of the Housewives in the Communities of the Alta Sierra Tarahumara, Chihuahua, Mexico

Abstract

In order to explore the perceptions of housewives who live in rural communities with large indigenous populations, a study was conducted in a community of the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua, northern Mexico, an area with a high level of marginalization. One hundred and twelve structured interviews were conducted based on a questionnaire that included such aspects as: socio-economic profile, background and basic knowledge about the environment, environmental issues, impacts of economic activities and priority issues for information and training. It was found that the ethnic, age, educational level and status of mothers, are important variables that influence how the environment is perceived. The depletion of vital resources (water and oxygen) is perceived as the most important impact of the overexploitation of natural resources; the Mestizo women showed a greater knowledge of the environment as compared the Indigenous ones.

Keywords: environmental perception, housewives, rural communities, Sierra Tarahumara