The Status of Women in Peru

Women in Peru´s Society

What exactly is the status of the about 19 million women in Peru? Under law, they are considered equal to men but sexual and racial discrimination still occurs and domestic violence is widespread. The numbers of harassment, violence, rape, etc are increasing year by year.

Following an example of the workforce: Peru is a large exporter of asparagus which is a short working season but very intense. Women usually only get short term contracts and have to work up to 18 hours a day. Short term contracts mean: no vacation, no health insurance, no social security. Also, women usually have no chance of advancing in this field and are stuck with these manual labor jobs. The supervisors in that industry are all men. Not surprising is also that women only make minimum wage. If the supervisors find out that a woman is pregnant, she usually gets fired immediately because law would require for her to be put into a less dangerous position which would lead to her not being able to work as hard. These laws have been passed and do exist. However, they are not really enforced; therefore of not much help to the women in the workforce. What this shows is that to the outside, Peru does a lot to protect women but on the inside it is not really enforced. Women in the workforce are just a quota that needs to be filled in order to look good. Especially single mothers are vulnerable to this kind of work because they have no other opportunities, since they do not receive any kind of other training to further their careers).

However, this is only one side of the story. Well educated women play a very important role in Peru´s business and social life. If women get the education they need and can access the opportunities that do exist, they are capable to be very valuable parts to society. The key is education and equality. Successful Peruvian women know that Peru needs role models that are willing to step up to the plate and do what it takes to ensure that other females get the same chances they had. One organization that fights for equality and opportunities for women, and works towards the achievement of these goals is AMUBA.

For more information, check out this article:

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