According to an FAO study, women spend most of their earned income on household needs. Thus, thanks to the work of thousands of women coffee growers, the economic and social development of these Producer areas is favored.
It is not easy to find studies with reliable information on this subject. Many data are difficult to collect, especially in terms of the underground economy. Therefore, we must always take the context into account when interpreting this type of information.
The International Women’s Coffee Alliance is an organization dedicated to promoting gender equality in this sector, and affirms that the development strategy that achieves the best benefits for society in general is one that involves men and women as equal assets. In addition, it is very likely that lower-income, indigenous women Producers have fewer resources to enter into commercial networks that would improve the yield, quality and marketing of the Coffee they produce.
But working hours are hard and in a rural environment, where inequalities between men and women are aggravated, there is a clear inequality in terms of salaries, and also a differentiation with respect to the roles that women play in decision-making and power, where they often play a subordinate role with respect to men.
The involvement of women in the coffee value chain has always been fundamental.participating in each and every stage of the production and commercialization of Coffee, from the preparation of the land for planting to the Harvest of the coffee beans and manual selection, also passing through the process of processing to the preparation for export and its subsequent sale. However, It is estimated that of the total number of women working in the Coffee industry, only 15% occupy leadership or decision-making positions. However, these roles vary depending on the country; for example, in Vietnam, women account for almost 50% of coffee marketing positions within the country, while in Uganda women do most of the field work and men are involved in marketing. In most countries, women are the primary labor force without owning the Farm and the Coffee.
But more and more, and thanks to their relentless work and struggle over the years, women are becoming an active part of all activities in the coffee value chain.The new women’s empowerment in decision-making and in carrying out all kinds of activities and developing new skills, which means the creation of opportunities to improve their and their families’ living conditions.
Many women coffee growers are proud to work in the coffee sector, as today they are increasingly producing higher value-added coffees, exporting their own coffee all over the world and winning international specialty coffee competitions as baristas or cuppers.
The future looks bright with a growing number of women in the coffee industry: barista champions, business owners, producers, roasters… a generation of young women who are making a place for themselves in the new specialty markets.
Patricia Carranco
Mare Terra Coffee
“PRODUCT & EVENTS COORDINATOR JR”.
