Una jornada que no tiene hora de salida
Las mujeres rurales de Cali y de otros sectores del país扛nan una carga laboral que puede alcanzar jornadas de hasta 14 horas. Su día no comienza con un horario fijo ni termina cuando termina el trabajo remunerado. Además de/iconsumir huit jobs,出演 must assume household chores, childcare, caregiving of sick family members, community work and, in many cases, support for family businesses.
La extensión de esta jornada is especially visible in rural communities, where transport is limited, schedules are less flexible and access to childcare, education, health and financial services is more difficult. The work is often organized around the needs of the household rather than around a formal employment contract. As a result, a woman may be economically active for many hours without receiving a salary, pension or social security benefits.
Menos ingresos para sostener más responsabilidades
The analysis also highlights a persistent gap in income. Rural women frequently perform multiple tasks, but their economic contribution is not fully recognized or compensated. A large part of their work remains unpaid, while the money obtained from agriculture, commerce, domestic service or informal businesses is insufficient to cover food, education, health, housing and other basic needs.
The consequences extend beyond the household budget. When women earn less, they have less capacity to save, access credit and finance productive projects. They may also become more dependent on a spouse, relatives or the owner of the business where they work. This situation limits their ability to respond to emergencies such as illness, crop losses, price increases or natural disasters.
Aportar al ingreso no significa decidir sobre el dinero
One of the most serious barriers is the difference between contributing money and deciding how it is used. In numerous households, women are the ones who manage daily expenses and care for the family, yet major decisions about loans, purchases, investments, property or the distribution of income are still made by other people.
This lack of financial autonomy can keep women in a cycle of dependency. Even when they generate resources, they may not have access to bank accounts, credit, payment systems or information that allows them to make independent decisions. In the countryside, distance from financial institutions and lower levels of digital connectivity make these obstacles even greater. Economic dependence can also weaken a woman’s negotiating power within the household and increase her vulnerability to abuse and exploitation.
A historic debt that legal advances have not erased
The situation has historical roots. Rural women have traditionally been concentrated in unpaid family labor, agriculture, domestic work, food processing and small-scale commerce. Although Colombia’s Constitution of 1991 and legislation such as Law 731 of 2002 strengthened the rights of rural women and promoted access to land, education, credit and public services, the gap between formal recognition and daily reality remains.
Progress in laws has not been enough to transform childcare services, rural employment, social protection or the distribution of power within families. The pandemic also exposed how essential women’s care work is, while the inflation and cost-of-living crisis increased the pressure on household economies. For rural women, these shocks have combined with climate risks, insecurity, long travel distances and limited employment alternatives.
Cali and the challenges of the rural territory
In Cali and the surrounding rural environment, access to stable employment is closely linked to the structure of the local economy. Many women combine work in fields, shops, services and family enterprises with domestic responsibilities. When schedules do not match, childcare is scarce or transportation is expensive, they are forced to reduce paid hours, leave employment or move into informal work without any protection.
These factors also affect the food and drink chain, family businesses and local commerce. When women cannot fully participate in remunerated employment and retain control over their income, the productive capacity of their communities is unnecessarily limited. The issue is therefore not only a matter of women’s employment, but also of local development, poverty reduction and the resilience of rural households.
Consequences for families and communities
Limited income and financial autonomy can reduce school attendance, postpone medical attention and discourage investment in small businesses. It can also perpetuate intergenerational poverty: daughters who see their mothers working without economic recognition are more likely to reproduce the same patterns of dependency. At the community level, the lack of resources limits women’s participation in local organizations, public decision-making and the design of policies that directly affect their lives.
What could change the situation
Addressing the crisis requires coordinated measures rather than isolated training programs. Priority should be given to childcare and school transportation in rural areas, flexible and formal employment options, social protection for self-employed workers, accessible credit and savings products, and training linked to actual local opportunities.
Financial inclusion is also indispensable. Women need accounts, payment mechanisms and advice that allow them to control their income and make informed decisions. Local governments and institutions should also promote participation by rural women in budgeting, land programs, agricultural projects and community leadership. Recognizing, measuring and redistributing unpaid care work is another essential step.
The challenge for the coming years
The future economic well-being of rural households will depend on whether women can move from being the main support of the family without rights to being recognized as workers with income, autonomy and decision-making power. The figure of up to 14 working hours reveals the scale of the problem, but the solution does not lie in asking women to work harder. It lies in changing the conditions that force them to do so. Guaranteeing care services, decent income and control over their own money could transform not only their lives, but also the social and productive development of the country’s rural communities.
