Childcare needs of female street vendors in Mexico City

Abstract

This article reports on strategies developed by female street vendors (vendedoras ambulantes) in Mexico City to ensure the care of their young children in the absence of a specific and operational government policy to fulfil this need. The information concerning child care and health was gathered by a survey of 426 street traders selected by multi-stage random cluster sampling in four of the administrative districts (delegaciones politicas) of Mexico City during 1990. It was found that, as mothers of young children, street vendors most frequently looked after their children personally on the street or left them with other members of the family. Related factors were availability of alternative child care providers in the family, the age of the children and working conditions of the mother. Children who remained on the streets with their mothers suffered more frequently from gastro-intestinal diseases and accidents than the national average. The incidence of acute respiratory diseases, however, was similar in the cases of maternal care in the street and care by family members in another environment. Existing public health measures show a greater concern for the health of food consumers than that of workers in this area. Current public policy seeks to regulate street vending activities and to concentrate traders in ad hoc areas and facilities. Our research results document the need for actions that can contribute to an improvement in the care and health conditions of these young children.

Availability of childcare support and nutritional status of children of non-working and working mothers in urban Nepal

“…When childcare support from adults is unavailable, working mothers, especially those in a nuclear family, have to care for young children by themselves at their workplace, rely on older siblings (usually preteen), or leave the children at home unattended, which is obviously poor practice (Hernandez et al, 1996;Kamau-Thuita et al, 2002;Lamontagne et al, 1998;Lawrence et al, 1985;Panter-Brick, 1992;Shah et al, 1979). Although in subsistence farming communities it might not be a bad choice to take young children into the field, where a peer childcare giver can easily provide support and food intake often increases through sharing snacks with the mother (Lawrence et al, 1985;Panter-Brick, 1992), caregiving in urban workplaces has been shown to result in poor child health (Hernandez et al, 1996;Lamontagne et al, 1998). Researchers have consistently indicated that peer childcare during the mothers' absence is a risk factor for poor nutrition among children of working mothers (Engle, 1991;Engle and Pederson, 1989;Lamontagne et al, 1998;Leslie, 1989;Popkin, 1980;Shah et al, 1979) because preteen children are not capable of taking appropriate care of younger children.…”

Dental caries and treatment needs in street children in Toluca, Mexico

“…Most of the existing literature concerning street children is related to their social characteristics [9][10][11][12][13][14][15] . With respect to age, the distribution of street children in Toluca was similar to the report generated by UNICEF 5 but with a smaller proportion of the group under 6 years of age.…”

Contextualising workers’ health and safety in urban settings: The need for a global perspective and an integrated approach

“…Since most informal workers are women there are consequences in childcare. For instance, in Mexico City, street vendor women reported the lack of child care facilities which cause them to bring children to their workplaces, where they become vulnerable to a set of infectious diseases and injuries (Hernandez et al, 1996). Women employed as domestic workers and economic migrants often pay an important price in terms of their family life and interaction with their children.…”