A feminist view of the "Bolivian ladder". Horticultural trajectories of quinteras in Greater La Plata, Argentina

Abstract

Intensive horticulture in Argentina, mostly carried out on small farms by Bolivian families, stands out for the dynamism of its workforce's social and geographical mobility. In this article we analyse these mobility processes from a feminist perspective, seeking to break with the productivist and androcentric biases that have characterized previous studies through the idea of "the Bolivian ladder". Using a biographical and ethnographic approach, we compiled the horticultural trajectories of 16 quinteras women from Gran La Plata, Buenos Aires. This diachronic approach makes it possible to analyze their experiences in the first person and over time, looking at the connection between productive work and domestic work and care. The results show the particular way in which gender roles and relations affect women's social mobility, as well as the economically significant nature of invisible and unpaid work for the sustainability of life.