The Triple Burden: The Impact of Time Poverty on Women’s Participation in Coffee Producer Organizational Governance in Mexico. (original) (raw)

Abstract

In the mid-1990s, fairtrade-organic registration data showed that only 9 percent of Oaxaca, Mexico’s organic coffee ‘farm operators’ were women; by 2013 the female farmer rate had increased to 42 percent. Our research investigates the impact of this significant increase in women’s coffee association participation, assessing the extent to which it is correlated with reductions in the gen-der asset gap and increases in women’s voice and agency in their everyday lives. We explore gender equity among 210 members of two coffee producer associations in Oaxaca, Mexico. The data, gathered between 2014 and 2016, form part of a larger, comprehensive study on this topic involving close to 500 producers across four regions, five coffee producer associations, and multiple language groups. We find that female coffee organization members report high levels of household decision-making power and they are more likely than their male counterparts to report control over their income. These significant advances in women’s agency within the household are offset by the fact that the women experience significant time poverty as they engage in coffee production while bearing a disproportionate share of domestic labor obligations. This time poverty limits their ability to fully participate in coffee organizational governance.

Sarah Lyon hasn't uploaded this document.

Let Sarah know you want this document to be uploaded.

Ask for this document to be uploaded.