“Doing more and losing more”: production, social reproduction, and gender inequalities in the coffee value chain in Amazonas, Peru

Oviedo A.; Alejandría Tapia L.; Chávez S.G.; Carrasco Rituay A.M.; Campos Trigoso J.A.; Angeles R. · Journal of Rural Studies (2026) · DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104298

Resumen

This article analyzes how gender inequalities are reproduced in coffee farming in Amazonas, Peru, based on the articulation between the sexual division of labor and the differential valuation of tasks throughout the coffee value chain and the intra-household organization of care and time. A qualitative and interpretive single-case study is developed based on in-depth interviews, direct observation, field notes, and informal dialogues with 15 women coffee producers in the Amazonas region of Peru. The findings show that women participate consistently in the central stages of production and post-harvest, but their contributions are often classified as family “support” and lose value compared to masculinized tasks associated with the use of tools, marketing, and income control, where recognition and decision-making are concentrated. At the same time, the rhythms of the production cycle—especially during the harvest season—are sustained by a daily reorganization of care and time that falls disproportionately on women, shifting part of the social costs of production to the home and straining well-being. Overall, the article shows that productive dynamism can expand without transforming the criteria for recognition, the effective distribution of benefits, or the conditions of social reproduction that sustain the chain.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas