Gender in occupational health research of farmworkers: A systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundFarmwork is one of the most hazardous occupations for men and women. Research suggests sex/gender shapes hazardous workplace exposures and outcomes for farmworkers. This paper reviews the occupational health literature on farmworkers, assessing how gender is treated and interpreted in exposure-outcome studies.MethodsThe paper evaluates peer-reviewed articles on men and women farmworkers' health published between 2000 and 2012 in PubMed or SCOPUS. Articles were identified and analyzed for approaches toward sampling, data analysis, and use of exposure indicators in relation to sex/gender.Results18% of articles reported on and interpreted sex/gender differences in health outcomes and exposures. Sex/gender dynamics often shaped health outcomes, yet adequate data was not collected on established sex/gender risk factors relating to study outcomes.ConclusionResearch can better incorporate sex/gender analysis into design, analytical and interpretive approaches to better explore its mediation of health outcomes in light of emerging calls to mainstream gender research. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:1344–1367, 2014. © 2014 The Authors. American Journal of Industrial Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Occupation and maternal mortality in Brazil

“…A study 8 found that living in rural areas, common among farm workers, was associated with maternal death. Farming jobs are characterized by high physical demands in almost all tasks performed, in addition to exposure to excessive heat 27 , contact with pesticides 28 -many of which are endocrine disruptors 29 -materials and biological agents 30,31 and animal injuries 31 , among other factors that affect health. Little is known about the working conditions of farm worker women in Brazil, but an important feature is the "naturalization" of occupation, commonly considered only as "help" and not a true job.…”

“…Little is known about the working conditions of farm worker women in Brazil, but an important feature is the "naturalization" of occupation, commonly considered only as "help" and not a true job. Therefore, women who work in agriculture, are not likely to be recognized as farm worker, being informed about occupational risks they face and how to prevention them, or whether exposed how they will compromise their health 30,31 . Access to adequate medical care, such as prenatal care, is commonly lower in rural areas 32 , where precarious quality and provision of health services also prevail, which deserves further specific studies.…”

Sex and Gender in Research on Healthcare Workers in Conflict Settings: A Scoping Review

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The Impact of Work Demand and Gender on Occupational and Psychosocial Stress in Hispanic Farmworkers

“…While one in five farmworkers are women or partnered with farmworkers (59% of farmworkers are married or cohabitating) (Carroll et al, 2011), much of the literature does not explore how relationships between exposure and outcomes are shaped by gender (Habib et al, 2014). Our findings suggest that women, who are often primary caregivers in addition to their part-time or full-time work, may face additional challenges.…”