Characterization of female-headed households in the state of Hidalgo

The economic and socio-demographic changes that took place in the 1980s led to transformations in the family world; in the structure, size and economic functions of households. Women have increased their participation in the productive sphere, generating an increase in the number of female-headed households without substantially modifying gender relations and responsibilities among the members of the family nucleus. This contradiction between the domestic and extra-domestic spheres of work continues to negatively condition women's economic participation; therefore, female-headed households are at the top of the list of economic actors with the highest levels of poverty and social vulnerability. Households headed by women are complex due to the social, historical-cultural and economic factors that determine them. Women's work is one of the most important social paradigms in the new global economy: the steady entry of women into the economically active population has been undermined for both salaried and self-employed women. Because of this, it is important to analyze the process of insertion into the labor force, its evolution and impact on female-headed households, as well as the degree of economic participation and the level of poverty of domestic units from a gender perspective.