Women, markets and the economic life of the urban poor in Cuenca, Ecuador
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Date
2022
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
The University Of Sheffield, Economic and social Research Council
Abstract
Sale. It is nine in the morning in the area around Mercado 10 de Agosto,
the municipal market in the Historic Centre of Cuenca, and Se˜nora Irma is
offering fresh grains to the women who approach her—maize, beans and
peas, the basic ingredients in the Andean region diet. The women check the
grains for freshness and size and then haggle over the sale. Se˜nora Irma
has, like her mother and three sisters, been a trader in the 10 de Agosto
Market for over 30 years.
Purchase. It is Wednesday, fair day in the very busy and crowded Mercado
El Arenal, just outside the city’s Historic Centre. Se˜nora Elvira is a mother
and, in her bag, she is carrying all kinds of fruit and vegetables just bought
in the market. These are the basic ingredients of her family’s diet. She finds
them ”cheaper and fresher”, and this why she prefers to do her shopping in
El Arenal, because ”the traders are from the countryside and they sell what
they harvest themselves”, which, she believes, guarantees the freshness of
the food.
Resumen
Keywords
Gender