ASSETS IN INTRAHOUSEHOLD BARGAINING AMONG WOMEN WORKERS IN COLOMBIA'S CUT-FLOWER INDUSTRY

Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic and survey data, this article examines the diverse ways in which land and home ownership, wage income, and social capital combine to structure the alternatives of women workers in the cut-flower industry of rural Colombia. Most of these workers live in traditional male-dominated households where domestic abuse is prevalent. Data showing rates of property ownership by gender are presented, and the barriers and facilitators to property ownership by gender among agricultural wage-workers are analyzed. Property ownership is acquired largely through inheritance or purchase, which is influenced by social capital and the historical nature of relationships with large landowners. Women's household bargaining strategies rely on a combination of assets: kin networks; labor-related networks; and physical, financial, and individual assets. The author argues that the social capital of individuals, including their labor, kin, and solidarity networks, is key to an understanding of both property acquisition and intrahousehold bargaining processes.