Labor Participation and Female Autonomy in a Context of Urban Agriculture

Abstract

This article describes the main findings of the research undertaken in San Luis Tlaxialtemalco, a town with 12,553 inhabitants located in the borough of Xochimilco in the south of Mexico City. This town, which engages in urban agriculture, has provided an excellent opportunity to determine, through the application of a survey of 185 households, whether greenhouses are a viable option for generating income in households and which forms of family economic participation and sexual division of labor prevail. They have also shown whether or not access to financial resources, age and educational attainment give wives the last word in decision-making and freedom of movement in comparison with village wives engaged in both paid and unpaid non-farm activities.