Building Stronger Rural Communities: A Focus on the Farmworker Woman
The Farmworker Women is the engine behind many of our families and communities. She gets
up the earliest (while the men and children sleep) to make breakfast as well as prepare and pack
lunch. She goes to work with the men. She comes home to wait for the children to return from
school and listens to their stories while she prepares the evening meal, washes the dishes, and
cleans up. The farmworker woman makes sure the children take a bath and helps them with
their homework. Finally, in the twilight of the day, she takes her turn to take care of herself
before going to bed later in the evening. And she repeats this routine day after day.
For the farmworker woman, Saturday morning is still a work day. On Saturday afternoons,
after cleaning up, the families may take off to buy the next week’s groceries and address any
needs for the week to come. The farmworker woman is the family member most responsible
for knowing and addressing school matters, medical needs and records, and other family issues.
While Sunday may be a day off for many, she does the laundry of the past week and other
household chores to prepare for the coming week.
The Farmworker Woman usually manages the family’s finances to make sure enough money is
saved for the return trip home and the winter months, when field work is scarce.
It is time to celebrate the strength of “The Farmworker Woman.”
Join us to celebrate this strength! Join us in Austin, Texas in 2016!
© Rene Renteria Photography