Experiences of Women Farmworkers in Michigan: Perspectives From the Michigan Farmworker Project.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  American Journal of Community Psychology, 2025, v. 75, no. 34: Experiences of Women Farmworkers in Michigan: Perspectives From the Michigan Farmworker Project.
• Journal Article:
  American Journal of Community Psychology
• Personal Author:
  Handal, Alexis J. ; Iglesias-Rios, Lisbeth ; Valentín-Cortés, Mislael A. ; O'Neill, Marie S.
• Description:
  Agricultural work presents significant physical and social challenges globally and in the United States, with women farmworkers facing unique risks that remain underexplored. This study examines the social and occupational hazards confronted by women farmworkers in Michigan using data from the Michigan Farmworker Project. In-depth interviews with farmworkers were thematically analyzed. Results highlight five main dimensions of working and living conditions: gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, reproductive health concerns, pregnancy challenges, and work-life balance issues. Women and men participants (n = 35; average age of 42 years; 57% women) reported hazardous and exploitative conditions including sexual harassment, chemical exposures, and challenges with proper hygiene and sanitation-especially during menstruation-including lack of bathroom access and other problems leading to urinary tract infections. Participants discussed pregnancy-specific concerns and concerns regarding work-life balance and childcare (i.e., insufficient time for family, challenges with coordination of childcare). Findings underscore the need for policies to address these disparities, especially for single women farmworkers. Interventions and policies informed by this study can improve the well-being of women workers and their families in agricultural settings.
• Content Notes:
  Author manuscript
• Subjects:
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Adult
  • Farmers
  • Pregnancy
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Sexism
  More +
• Keywords:
  • community-based participatory research
  • environmental justice
  • farmworkers
  • occupational exposures
  • pregnancy outcomes
  • women
  • community‐based participatory research
• Source:
  American Journal of Community Psychology, 2025, v. 75, no. 34
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12792
• ISSN:
  0091-0562 ; 1573-2770
• Pubmed ID:
  39949185
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC12174754
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  T42 OH008455/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; R01ES029950/National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH/NIEHS)/ ; University of Michigan Ginsberg Center/ ; P30ES017885/National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH/NIEHS)/ ; R01 ES029950/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; University of Michigan National Center for Institutional Diversity/ ; R01ES026603/National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH/NIEHS)/ ; T32 ES007062/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P30 ES017885/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01 ES026603/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan
• Pages in Document:
  292-304 (22 pdf pages)
• Volume:
  75
• Issue:
  34
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/261687/cdc_261687_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 354.59 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6d785ca62d9b15ace2d50cff592b43256cfd5ee487c69b9ac6a9baa4780aed30358c5713ef4b723ccd40a6647271d0a2a096b557508b7871de58c29bf44a0bd3