El rol productivo de las mujeres en el Cantón Guachapala y su impacto en la salud de sus niños y niñas menores de 5 años en el año 2015 - 2016

Abstract

Objective: To collect data and understand the impact of women’s out-of-home employment on the health of their children under 5 years of age in Guachapala, Ecuador. Methodology: This is a mixed study conducted in Guachapala during the years 2015-2016 in which we evaluated growth and development of 266 children under 5 years of age. We performed association tests with socioeconomic factors of their mothers, mother’s productive role, family functionality and structure. The study was complemented by in-depth interviews with mothers from which we did a qualitative analysis in order to corroborate the quantitative results. Results: The paid productive role of women outside of their households had no significant association with the health of their children under 5 years old (OR 1.540, p: 0.082). The mothers in the study performed an average of 129 hours of productive activity a week, many of such activities were overlapped. Dysfunctional families are 7.44 times more likely to have children with growth and developmental deficits (p <0.05). The productive rol of the women in dysfunctional families tend to be overloaded and precarious. Conclusions: The results indicate the need to use a gender approach in the health strategies in order to achieve the well being of children under 5 years of age. An approach with a fair inclusion of women in the work force, an adequate distribution of in-home chores, and involvement in family economic responsibilities will improve the woman’s self-esteem and functionality of their families resulting in better health outcomes of their children