Role of Women:
- 65% of women work in the informal economy selling fruit and making pupusas on the street generally earning less than men.
- About 85% -90% of the work force in maquiladoras are women few holding management positions.
- Nearly 30% of the country’s doctors and lawyers are women and even a higher in dentistry and High School teachers.
- Approximately 33% of the municipal council and 10% of the National Assembly are women.
- Domestic and treatment of women as second-class citizens continues to be a particular problem in El Salvador. Sexual Assault reports have increased (due to criminal procedures code of 1998).
- The Civil War impacted women dramatically- loss of husbands and sons forced women to find ways to maintain their families.
- Men had a new found respect for women who fought in the war.
- Public hospitals still refuse to perform abortions.
- The pill is the most commonly used contraceptive.
- Women rights seem on the rise, but article 182 states that a wife is required to be obedient and he is required to protect her.
Family
- La familia often includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
- Families are sometimes destroyed due to immigration patterns.
- Women form the backbone of the Central American family.
- Here in the U.S. families suffer because they must deal with economic issues, deal with loss of family and some are still dealing with the trauma of a decade-long Civil War.
- In order to survive Salvadorans are often forced to accept all kinds of work.
- For Salvadorans, U.S. life is both a blessing and a curse (www. Nathannewman.org/EDIN/.mags/.cross/.40/.40salv/.magana.html)
Religion
- 80% of the population is Catholic
- Liberation theology took an important role during the Civil War encouraging people to seek justice.
Economic Statistics
- Gross Domestic Product- 12.4
- Employment sectors:
Agriculture- 25%
Commerce- 22%
Services- 21%
Manufacturing- 19%
Construction- 7%
Other- 6%
- Unemployment rate: 8%
- Underemployment rate: 30%
- Minimum wage: $3.67
- Exports: 2.5 billion primarily in coffee,sugar, textiles, and shrimp.
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