Lee
- Main thesis:
a. Examines how international market demands and certification requirements
affect migrant women's labor opportunities and working conditions in Costa
Rica's agricultural packing plants
b. Based on 50 in-depth interviews with female plant workers and 4 months of
participant observation in two packing plants (Pin
̈ a Fresca and Yuca Pital)
- Key Context:
1. Economic Background:
a. Costa Rica implemented structural adjustment programs (SAPs) in
1980s
b. Led to expansion of non-traditional agricultural exports (NTAEs)
c. Increased labor demand filled by Nicaraguan migrants
d. Nicaraguan population grew from 45,000 in 1984 to 226,000 in 2000
2. Immigration Policy:
a. Limited paths to legal status
b. Need family link to Costa Rican citizen
c. Most rural migrants enter without documentation
d. Creates large undocumented workforce
- Labor Market Segmentation:
1. Certification Impact:
a. EurepGAP certification required for European markets
b. Creates two-tiered labor system:
I. Documented workers in pineapple
processing (European market)
II. Undocumented workers in cassava
processing (US market)
2. Plant Comparison:
a. Pin̈ a Fresca (Pineapple):
- Documented workers only
- Higher wages ($60-200/week)
- Stable hours but very long
- Group piece-rate wages
- Strict working conditions
b. Yuca Pital (Cassava):
- Mostly undocumented workers
- Lower wages ($16-50/week)
- Irregular hours with unpaid waiting time
- Individual piece-rate wages
- More flexible but precarious conditions
- Working Conditions:
1. Hours and Scheduling: "Plant workers at Pin
̈ a Fresca and Yuca Pital do not
have any control over their work hours."
- Pin
̈ a Fresca: Long but predictable
- Yuca Pital: Irregular and unpredictable
- Both use piece-rate wages to manage costs
2. Gender Dynamics:
- Tasks divided by gender
- Yuca Pital: Men given authority over women
- Pin
̈ a Fresca: Women increasingly displaced by men
- Physical strength valued over skill
3. Worker Demographics:
a. Pin
̈ a Fresca:
- 74% single mothers
- All documented
- Younger workers
b. Yuca Pital:
- 33% household heads
- Mostly undocumented
- Includes older workers
Key Impacts and Implications:
- On Workers:
c. Creates two-tiered workforce
d. Forces undocumented workers into most precarious jobs
e. Impacts family life and childcare
f. Perpetuates gender inequality
- Broader Significance:
g. Shows how global market demands affect local labor
h. Reveals unintended consequences of certification requirements
i. Demonstrates complexities of South-South migration
j. Questions effectiveness of development policies