Revista de Estudios Sociales

rev. estud. soc. | eISSN 1900-5180 | ISSN 0123-885X

Sustaining Life in Times of Uncertainty: Provisioning Strategies of Low-Income Women in Santiago, Chile

No. 87 (2024-01-11)
  • Lorena Pérez-Roa
    Universidad de Chile
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5959-9439
  • Ximena Cuadra Montoya
    Universidad Católica del Maule, Chile
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0047-253X
https://doi.org/10.7440/res87.2024.05

Abstract

This article delves into the provisioning strategies employed by low-income women in Santiago, Chile, to deal with the economic uncertainties that were exacerbated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Provisioning strategies encompass both paid and unpaid work that women engage in to ensure the well-being of their households. To investigate these strategies, a series of qualitative follow-up interviews were conducted with fourteen female heads of households. The findings are categorized into three provisioning strategies: 1) caregiving, 2) resourcefulness, and 3) savings. These strategies are analyzed as a continuum of practices that are part of women's provisioning tasks. These practices do not conform to traditional distinctions between the public and private spheres, they adapt to the demands of the context, and they are not seen as transferable to others. Exploring provisioning strategies serves a dual purpose: firstly, it seeks to understand the economic pressures caused by the social context marked by high levels of political and economic uncertainty, and secondly, it allows us to analyze the economic adjustment practices that women had to develop to sustain life in a changing environment shaped by the cycles of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: economic uncertainties, low-income women, provisioning strategies, Santiago de Chile

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