Condición de vulnerabilidad y posicionamiento de las mujeres gestoras informales, en la gestión integral de residuos domiciliarios de la parroquia San Bartolo del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to analyze position and vulnerability of informal female agents as participants of solid waste comprehensive management process in San Bartolo, a county that belongs to Quito Metropolitan District. By documental revision and interviews applied to agents along the process, this document studies social and economic factors that push women to be involved in home rubbish informal management, and the conditions under those female agents develop their activities in San Bartolo as well as the role they play inside the process of solid waste management. Despite being considered as a social problem due to informal work conditions, the results show the agents job contributes to in-situ separation stage of comprehensive management process of solid waste in the city. In addition, this process benefits the environment by lessen the amount of waste in landfills. The conditions in which those women work, are poor with high biological risk. However, this activity is their mean of living. Even though local authorities are aware of this social problem, the poor conditions of environmental agents in general, and their effort to legalize the agents’ activity, the proposed conditions do not match the needs; only 10% of agents have been legalized. Citizens are also aware of these female agents’ activities and their job, but still devalue them.