From Invisibility to Recognition: rural women, productive activities, household activities and care

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the situation of invisibility and lack of recognition of women in rural areas of Southern Brazil, throughout the reflection of the possibilities for overcoming their condition. For this purpose, it was suggested the analytical perspective of agricultural multifunctionality for the analysis of the activities carried out by rural women, since this approach aims to go beyond purely production-oriented approaches and aims to highlight the non-productive roles of agriculture. In the empirical research had been identified the various and diverse activities that set up the productive work, domestic and care work of a group of 18 farmers members of the Movement of Peasant Women (MMC) and residents in Quilombo, municipality in Western Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil. The research turned out that women farmers play a fundamental role regard the maintenance and social reproduction of family farming, since their daily activities are integrally related to their families and their farms. In this perspective, the perspective of multifunctionality operates as a powerful tool that allows visualization of the role of women in rural areas.