The Health of Women Farmworkers and Women in Farmworker Families in the Eastern United States

Women are integral members of the Latinx farmworker community, both as farmworkers themselves and as members of households that contain one or more farmworkers. The proportion of farmworkers who are women has increased, nationally, over the past two decades, and is greater in the eastern United States than the country as a whole. Women in the farmworker community face social, economic, and ethnic discrimination that shapes their mental and physical health risks and can limit their access to care. Their experience is likely different from men due to sexual harassment and domestic obligations that often fall primarily on women. Research on the health of women in the Latinx farmworker community is spotty, with few studies focusing directly on women. It is likely that health hazards known to exist (e.g., heat-related illness and pesticide exposure) pose risks for women that differ from those for men, but little research has been conducted with sufficient numbers of women to adequately explore these differences. This chapter reviews current knowledge of risks and health outcomes and makes recommendations for future research, practice, and policy.