Abstract

CAAMAL DZIB, Gilda; HUICOCHEA GOMEZ, Laura  and  CAHUICH CAMPOS, Diana. Economic provisioning and family reconfiguration: an experience of labor precariousness in Campeche, Mexico. Entrediversidades rev. cienc. soc. humanid. [online]. 2024, vol.21, e202413.  Epub June 13, 2025. ISSN 2007-7610.  https://doi.org/10.31644/ed.iei.v21.2024.a10.

This is an exploratory study in which, through the labor biography of an older adult of campesino (peasant) origin, Mayan-speaking, native and resident of Campeche, Mexico, we seek to answer the questions: how does a man in a situation of precarious and entrenched labor experience a lack of economic provision, and how are his relationships and position of power within the family reconfigured? As a frame of reference, we start from the mandates of traditional masculinity (to provide economically and to perform a job even in precarious conditions) to understand how these premises affect family dynamics and roles. It is identified that structural precariousness led this man to face constant job instability and unemployment. Adverse working conditions, physical and emotional abuse, and the illnesses he acquired forced him to quit or abandon different jobs. Despite resorting to pluriactivity as a subsistence strategy, over time the role of the wife and one of the sons consolidated as the main providers and decision-makers, offering him material and emotional support. This reconfiguration, however, weakened masculinity and men’s position of power within the family unit.

Keywords : Traditional masculinity; Pluriactivity; Family reconfiguration; Labor precariousness.

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