Living and working in poverty: trajectories of children, youth and adults in Latin America.

RAUSKY, MARÍA EUGENIA; CHAVES, MARIANA

Palgrave Macmillan

Año: 2018 p. 187

978-3-030-00900-7

This book studies the complex interrelation of poverty, work, and different stages in the life course and how it contributes to the permanent existence of poverty and inequality in already vulnerable groups in society. Mechanisms of productions and reproduction of these relations are identified through empirical research carried out in four Latin American countries.The question of the permanence of poverty, and the need for strengthening efforts for its eradication, is one of the most important issues on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A central argument for the book is that poverty and inequality may persist throughout the entire life course of individuals, therefore it is relevant to identify and analyze factors perpetuating this trend, and equally to problematize the global quest for achieving development with equality.Individuals can engage in economic activities at any stage of their life course. For those who live in poverty this process often coincides with childhood, adolescence and youth, which does not necessarily mark the coming of age of these individuals. Thus highly unequal life conditions may be established at an early age, compared to other individuals. At the same time, throughout adult life, engaging with the world of work, especially for poor women and children, may result in a series of precarious and uncertain experiences often in the under-paid home care sector.