Social Inequalities and Household Sustenance. A Longitudinal Perspective on Women's Economic Participation in Buenos Aires City

This study aims to analyze the economic participation of women residing in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) in sustaining their households. As the capital of Argentina, CABA has undergone an early sociodemographic transition compared to most Latin American countries, making it a relevant case study for exploring gender dynamics and social stratification. Through a longitudinal approach, the study challenges the historical and cultural model that assigns men as the sole economic providers, examining the interplay between family dynamics and economic sustenance among women born in three generational cohorts: 1948–1952, 1968–1972, and 1978–1982. Using data from the 2019 Retrospective Demographic Survey, a multidimensional sequence analysis is applied to examine the labor and family trajectories of these women. It is hypothesized that significant differences will emerge across generations and social groups. Specifically, younger women are expected to exhibit a higher proportion of life trajectories combining the role of sole economic provider with shorter periods of cohabitation with children, while women from lower social strata are anticipated to show a lower proportion of cases in which they act as the sole economic providers of their households. The main findings reveal that most women in these generational cohorts have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to contributing economically to their households. Furthermore, the proposed hypotheses have been confirmed, highlighting how gender inequalities intersect with social origin inequalities throughout the life courses of these women.