The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently included an article on the economy of unpaid care for Colombian agricultural women in the National Development Plan. Cecilia López, head of the portfolio, spoke with Portafolio about the plans and projects they have in this area.
Why is this article included?
Women in general, but especially rural women, spend seven hours a day caring for their families. Doing these housework taking care of children, the sick and when they want to carry out a productive activity, they are already exhausted.
(Colombia seeks to recognize unpaid care as work).
The solution is to recognize that what we call the unpaid care economy is a productive activity that can and should be done by the State and the market, so that they free up that time and can efficiently carry out productive activities.
How are they going to take on those tasks?
It is time to identify which tasks weigh the most. For example, the State can contribute by creating nurseries, the market a link between the private and public sectors to offer care systems and thus there will be people who do these tasks and they are released.
What impact will it have on national accounts?
These tasks of the unpaid economy have already been measured, for the whole country they are worth between 19% and 20% of the Gross Domestic Product. At the moment in which the State and the market assume the tasks, they will demand labor, which would increase the work of women with the possibility of going out to work. Increase the bag of wages, taxes and GDP.
(Minagricultura asks to use more sustainable production methods).
By removing the burden, the number of hours worked is reduced, which is almost 18 or 19, which is inhumane and increases the productivity of women’s work.
What entities will be in charge?
I did it from Minagricultura because it is the area where I can do it. Without this article there is no clear justification for women being land objects. Here, by saying that his household activity is productive, he has every justification for being granted as much land as men.
How will you defend the article in Congress?
The immense difference between men and women is due to a variable that has never been discussed and that is the use of time. Men’s use of time is 8 hours of work, 8 of leisure and 8 of sleep. In the case of women, it is 7 or 8 hours of care economy, then their productive activities go on leisure, which ends in almost 16 hours.
(This is how the credit benefits for farmers will work).
This affects their inability to be financially autonomous and make decisions about their lives. The reality is that today women have been educated and have the same rights. That is the principle of equity.
How is Colombia in this matter?
What is happening to women in the countryside is infamous. First, they do not own the land, only 21% of them have land, so what is the productive capacity to make the land. Second, no one helps them with these tasks.
All they do is a load of time that takes away from them the possibility of being efficient and productive. Rural policy has always been focused on the fact that the producer is the man and the caretaker is the woman or the householder.
DIANA K. RODRIGUEZ T.
BRIEFCASE
