The agribusiness industry in northwestern Mexico and the health of female farmworkers: a proposal for study

• Main Authors: Patricia Aranda, María del Carmen Castro Vásquez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto de Salud Colectiva, Universidad Nacional de Lanús 2016-03-01
• Series: Salud Colectiva
• Subjects: Agricultura; Embarazo; Seguridad Social; Inequidad Social; Condiciones Sociales; Acceso a los Servicios de Salud; Derechos de la Mujer; México
• Online Access: http://revistas.unla.edu.ar/saludcolectiva/article/view/878

This article seeks to outline the structure of the export-oriented agribusiness industry in northwestern Mexico, so as to analyze the conditions of vulnerability of female farmworkers in terms of their access to health services and the medical attention they receive. Using a qualitative approach, focus groups and interviews were carried out with farmworkers and subject experts pertaining to academia and civil society. Their narratives were then analyzed using Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of field. The primary results demonstrate a lack of access to health services and social security, and describe the main actors and their positions with respect to the vulnerability of this population.