MUNZSSInlD - usaid

theyN are consilc rabl) more 1 e t0!-n their field colik.ues to have permanentjobs. Of the four
subgroups. hoAever. male non-field "orkers are the most likely to hold permanent positions.
IMPACT OF NTAE ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN
For a number of reasons, %omen occupy more than half of the jobs associated with the
processing, or post-harvest handling, of the NTAE products selected in Guatemala, Honduras,
and Costa Rica in comparison with men vho work in NTAE and with women who work in
traditional agricultural export products.
First, NTAE creates a level of manual processing encompassed in the post-harvest
value-added,
handling,
aspect that
or
is not associated with traditional agricultural exports.
conditions
Second,
associated
the
with the N'TAE post-harvest processing phase are such
the
that
vkorkplace
the) invite
wkomen
to
Aho, bc4.ause of scx.ial constraints, would not ordinarily
permitted
work
to work
--or be
-- in jobs related to agriculture that are normally available in their areas.
In other m,ords, NTAE not only increases the number and "quality" of working
jobs available,
conditions
but
of
because of the latter, also expands the potential labor pool
draws
from %%hich
workers.
it
Furthermore, because of the personal qualities,
constant
such as
and
careful
close attention,
handling and
needed to perform the post-harvest tasks well, women are
to
preferred
mcn for the majority of the new positions created.
In contrast, women represent 30% or less, depending on the country (See Table 2), of the
workforce in field labor for the NTAE products included. The female component of the field
%orkforce isclearly in the minority when compared %ith the male component. When comparing
the extent of female participation in the cultivation of nontraditional agricultural export crops
with traditional agricultural export crops, however, the rate of female participation in NTAE
field work (apart from harvesting) is ma.ked'y higher.
More specifically, women generally do not have a role in the cultivation (i.e. production prior
to harvest) of traditional export crops. Thus, the intensity of labor required for the successful
cultivation of many of the NTAE crops has the effect of not only increasing the number of
positions, but also altering the nature of many of the tasks defined as cultivation. If women are
not preferred they are at the least competitive with men in terms of their ability to perform many
of these more intensive cultivation tasks. I
Greenhoue cultivation (i.e. production under glas or plastic) has prolifemted as a medium for
I-TAE production in flowers and ornamental plants. It has no comparable significance in the
production of traditional agricultural exports. Thus, it is not only a new source of jobs but,
because of the nature of many of the greenhouse cultivation and packing tasks, a source in which
female labor is explicitly preferred. Moreover, as a result of the "quality" of the jobs created,
it too draws on the expanded labor pool of women who would not otherwise work in jobs
associated with agriculture.
11-7 /
,