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RESPONSES TO ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING: No es fácil, pero es posible: The Maintenance of Middle-Class Women-Headed Households in Mexico.: No es fácil, pero es posible : The Maintenance of Middle-Class Women-Headed Households in Mexico.
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Willis, K. O. |
| Copyright Year | 2000 |
| Abstract | Studies of gender and development have often focused on 'women-headed households'.2 Varley (1996) states that this may be because they represent a positive symbol for feminist researchers, being a challenge to the prevailing social norm of a male-headed nuclear household. However, there is increasing recognition that female-headed households have been represented in a one dimensional way, usually being depicted as consisting of single mothers with young children struggling to survive economically, and being disproportionate ly concentrated in the poorest income bracket. This fails to recognise the di versity within the ever-shifting category of 'female-headed households' (see Chant 1997a,b; Jackson, 1998; Varley, 1996), in particular the way in which middle-class3 households can have women heads. The main reason cited for the supposed impoverished nature of female headed households is their perceived limited access to resources compared with male-headed households. The focus on the resources available to the household as a whole is indicative of the move towards household studies in a consideration of anti-poverty strategies.4 The resources on which individual members can draw are wide-ranging and can be divided into economic, human and social capital.5 In economic terms, the household needs an income for survival. Although this income is usually in the form of wages, other sources may include rent, social security benefits, remittances and pensions.6 Secondly, and obviously linked to economic capital, is human capital, encompassing the skills and experience of the household members. Characteristics such as age, gender and education are important in determining the contributions individu als can make, both in terms of the kind of jobs available to them and the wages they can command, and the activities they can undertake in the domestic sphere itself. Finally, social capital represents the networks of friends and rela tives upon which household members can call for assistance.7 This may be in |
| Starting Page | 29 |
| Ending Page | 46 |
| Page Count | 18 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.cedla.uva.nl/50_publications/pdf/revista/69RevistaEuropea/69Willis.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
