In steak-mad Argentina, women’s work is increasingly butchering the meat.

The meat industry is a source of national pride. It has also been a space historically inhospitable to women.

Cordoba, Argentina – It takes only a brisk walk through Mercado Norte, a nearly century-old food market hall in this city, to discern that in this most carnivorous of countries, meat is the domain of men. Behind the glass counters of the carnicerias, or butcher shops, that make up most of the market’s food stalls, male butchers hold court, knives in hand, while women, if there are any to be seen, are relegated to the cash register.

The gorily stained apron that hangs from her neck identifies Maru Diaz as the exception to the rule.

On a recent Tuesday, Diaz worked alongside two other butchers, both men, to sculpt from goat carcasses recognizable retail cuts: racks of ribs, tenderloins and bone-in legs, whose meat has become a popular filling for empanadas. This is not a task for the faint-hearted. It begins by hoisting the 23kg (50-pound) animal on a hook, chopping off its head and hacking a knife along its backbone to cut the carcass in half.

“I work in a man’s world,” Diaz said matter-of-factly with goat heads piled up around her feet in what almost appears to be a religious ritual. Some men, after seeing her wield a knife or cleaver, have expressed their surprise in condescending comments that rankle her: “Be careful. You’ll hurt yourself,” or warnings to beware the “armed woman”.

“I like what I do,” said the 36-year-old, her black hair tied up in a bun. “But you have to really want it.”