Kvinnors rättigheter i Costa Rica : En kvalitativ studie om hur strukturella och traditionella normer formar arbetsmarknaden och beslutsfattande inom familjen

Sammanfattning

Title: Women's rights in Costa Rica: A qualitative study of how structural and traditional norms shape the labour market and decision-making within the family. Traditional and cultural norms continue to shape women’s opportunities and living conditions in Costa Rica despite formal rights and gender equality reforms. The aim of this qualitative study is to examine how young women in Costa Rica experience the influence of traditional and cultural norms on their opportunities for employment and financial independence, as well as their scope for decision making and distribution of care responsibilities within the family. The research questions concern how young women perceive that these norms affect their opportunities for work and livelihood, and how they experience their agency in family related decision making and caregiving responsibilities. A semi structured interview approach is utilized, involving twelve young women from two geographical contexts in Costa Rica, six participants from the urban area of San José and six participants from the rural area of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí. The findings suggest that traditional gender norms continue to influence women’s opportunities and responsibilities in both working life and family life. Several participants described unequal power relations, economic dependence and an unequal distribution of household and care responsibilities, despite experiences of increased opportunities for women in contemporary Costa Rican society. The findings also indicate differences between urban and rural contexts regarding access to opportunities and institutional support. Based on this, the relationship between formal gender equality and perceived experiences of inequality is discussed, as well as the importance of education and economic independence for women’s self determination and social change.