Central American Gender Roles

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I. Introduction: Over the trajectory of Central America’s history, we are able to see two neighboring countries that have challenged the status quo. Costa Rica and Nicaragua, like many of the Central American countries face obstacles such as poverty, the fight for political stabilization and economic development. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere and the poorest country in Central America. Costa Rica faces the highest percentage of immigrants entering the country, approximately 9% of its population totals immigrants according to data compiled by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), released in November 2014. It also noted that Costa Rica is the only country in Latin …show more content…

Although this norm is a stereotype and does not necessarily reflect an ideology that is viewed as an acceptable form of treatment, we must consider the degree in which it affects the possibilities of women compared to men. In a table constructed for Costa Rica’s employment population per occupational group by nationality and sex in 2000, exploring the total professionals and technicians that enter the work force on a scale of 100%, Nicaraguan men make up 1.9% while Costa Rican men hold a position of 9.4%. What is most astonishing is that women in Costa Rica have higher positions in this field with 18.2% while Nicaraguan women hold 2.5%. Women of Costa Rica are able to work in administrative positions at 13.4%, surpassing that of men’s administrative positions at only …show more content…

Body- Nicaragua’s history: Nicaragua has faced many obstacles in its political and socio political trajectory. Obstacles such as: civil wars, poverty, and intervention from foreign actors, and natural disasters, put a strain on the countries desire for a stable progression. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Central America. The lack of respectable jobs in this country has forced many of its people to migrate to neighboring countries such as Costa Rica, in hopes of more opportunities.
Many of the migrating Nicaraguans take up jobs in the education and domestic work in Costa Rica. Two trade union centers in Nicaragua and Costa Rica have initiated cooperation to improve migrants working conditions. Nicaragua has a population of 5.9 million people and a labor force of 2.6 million workers. Women have considerably lower employment rates than men, but the overall employment rate is average for the region.
An estimated 400,000 Nicaraguans work in Costa Rica, mainly in the agricultural sector. Many of them are illegal migrants, and therefore are prone to lower wages, even lower than the minimum wage. They do not receive health insurance or pension. The lack of decent work opportunities and unemployment are the main reasons for immigration. Women are only slightly more likely than men to be affected by unemployment, though almost twice as likely to be affected by underemployment. Few women work in agriculture and more commonly find employment in manufacturing, commerce,

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