What we’ve learned from Eduardo

In his blog entitled “Se solicitaban trabajadores para la construccion” (in English, “Seeking construction workers”), Eduardo tells the surprising story of women being sought for construction labor.

As Eduardo investigated this story, he says he found that the requirements for a construction job in India are an age between 20 and 40, the female gender and there is a preference for those who know how to write Hindi. His observations from passing construction sites confirmed this hypothesis when he quickly noticed that the workers were women.  The Hunger Project, a global non-profit focused on empowering women and building self-reliance in communities, has a study that provides some statistics and insight on possible explanations for this. For example, the culture in India places more importance on education for male children, which means daughters are generally helping the family economically by finding work in domestic or agricultural areas. The study also points out the dichotomies in scheduling and pay between men and women in India. Women earn 60-70 rupees for the same job that men earn 100 rupees for; though this rift appears to be changing as a result of women’s presence in political leadership.

The insights from Eduardo’s observations, research from the Hunger Project and others allow an interesting look into different cultural perceptions.  The Miracle Foundation is proud to say we offer fair pay and hours to the housemothers at all of our children’s homes. Without their loving care and support for the children, our mission would be impossible to achieve.