Income

 Income is the first element considered for women to attain employment. From the

interviews I conducted among female flower workers, it is clear that by considering

income only, in some way all of them feel that they are being (or have been) empowered

by working in the flower plantation. Income allows women to recuperate their active role

in the household's economy (Chapters 2 and 5), which was latent or invisible after the

loss of subsistence agriculture. As seen in Chapters 5 and 6, all women workers in

Mulauco control their own money. In some cases there is the custom of pooling of both

spouses' income to make one household income. In this case, women are still active in

controlling the part of the money that corresponds to their roles. No matter what their

earnings may be, women see them as something they fight for and deserve. Traditionally

women were an important part of the economic cycle of the household, and in such roles,

they were shareholders in the production. With money earned from employment, women

found themselves once again fulfilling such traditional roles. This is an important result

of flower employment.

 Income also bolsters some personal gains in women workers like self-esteem,

visibility, and autonomy. These are important psychological elements that promote

optimism in women and therefore could promote positive changes. The income obtained

by women workers is also important for their families who are improving their well

being, by providing food and other needed goods.