Mexican Agricultural Development Policy and Its Impact on Rural Women

Abstract

Over the past decade, an increasing number of studies have focused on rural women's participation in production and reproduction. Few of these studies, however, have explored the relationship between women's participation and state agrarian policy. Nevertheless, women's participation is directly affected by changes in the productive structure induced by agrarian policy. Moreover, the gender division of labor within the peasant household itself generates differential effects on agrarian processes. The topic is complex, and before assessing the impact of agrarian policy on rural women, we will attempt to organize the available data and then propose some hypotheses.