Unpaid work crossed by rurality among women in San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Abstract

Historically, women have been excluded from the contributions they make to the market through unrecognized practices such as unpaid work, which is reinforced by the superstructure as corresponding to them. The article makes a brief historical journey that links unpaid work with the capitalist system that takes women's bodies for their exploitation and the maintenance of that system. The objective is to analyze the discourses on unpaid work and childrearing carried out by women belonging to the locality of Parada del Zarcido in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in which the problematic of class comes to light. The data were obtained through focus groups and participatory observation: the methodology takes up elements of participatory action research. Among the most important findings, it can be pointed out that unpaid work performed by women limits the exercise of other activities and has repercussions on their social and personal lives. On the other hand, when entering the labor market, women face precarious conditions that generate double or triple shifts, not to mention the rural conditions that influence this.