Unequal participation by women in the working world

Interest in studying the economic performance of women in the region dates from recent times and is related to development studies. An initial conclusion of analyses on the economic roles of the sexes was the unequal participation by men and women in the labour market. According to census records, the greater part of the adult male population appears as working population, while the majority of women appear as non-working population, i.e., they are registered as homemakers. This finding led researchers to attempt to determine its causes and to explore the different ways in which work is distributed between men and women in the areas of production and reproduction, respectively. In one way or another, Latin American societies —like those of the rest of the world— have centered women s work on the duties of social reproduction, labour force reproduction and biological reproduction. Thus, women’s role in these areas determines the form and scope of female participation in productive work.