problems in the household or in improving the concrete material situation of the family.

For example, Maria and her husband decided to add two additional rooms to the family's

house principally because both bring home a paycheck (Chapter 4).

 In the personal realm, Maria has gained the conviction that, if necessary, she can

provide for herself and her family. As in Teresa's case, she has achieved self-

confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of agency through employment in the flower

industry. This improves her life and makes her optimistic about the future.

 Maria's gender relations seem to have been improved due to her employment

experience. She manages her money and participates in the decision-making process

regarding important aspects of family life. Her husband now is less likely to argue with

her when he is drunk. All of this is a clear improvement.

 As in the case of the single female worker, wage labor also provides for social

participation, as unemployment does not. And at this point Maria, as a married woman,

knows what it means to be a mere observer to the process of earning the family's

livelihood. Of course, this does not mean that motherhood or labor in the subsistence

economy constitute unemployment, but as stated in Chapter 2, unfortunately in the "real

world" these activities are economically invisible, and therefore do not count in the

struggle to survive in a capitalist system.

 The strongest drawbacks of employment in the flower industry, in Maria's opinion,

are due to the conflict it creates with her household roles, particularly childcare, which is

important for her. Although Maria cannot adequately combine her roles as mother and

worker, she thinks that the job's economic benefits represent an improvement in the well-

being of the household and that it is therefore worth continuing with her job, although it