Gender and Precarious Work in Agro-Food Globalization: An Analysis of the Feminization of Labour in the Strawberry Export Sector in Morocco

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to analyse feminization of labour in the Moroccan strawberry sector. This export-oriented agriculture has opted for the employment of young rural women in its search for a flexible and cheap labour force to ensure its successful insertion into global agricultural chains. The main objective of this article is to understand how gender relations, articulated with NorthSouth, class and age inequalities, shape the organization of work in this sector and how this affects women's experiences of work. Based on a qualitative research, we analyse the sexual and marital segmentation of the labour market, as well as the work experiences of farm workers, marked by labour abuses and violence. Alongside material conditions, we highlight the importance of ideological factors associated with domesticity, honour and morality, in these processes.