by Carel Roessingh and Linda Mol

Abstract

This article addresses the role of women in the labour system of the Mennonite entrepreneurs in a community in Belize, Central America. The labour system of the Mennonite enterprises is mainly organised independently of the general Belizean labour system. Mennonite women have gained a pivotal position in this independent system over the past years. Traditionally, Mennonite women stay at home to work in the domestic sphere. In recent years, however, their role has changed and they have increasingly started to work outside of the home. This has had major implications for the position of women in the community. In this article a description of the position of women in the Mennonite labour system will be provided using literature on the Mennonite women, combined with empirical data from the Mennonite community of Spanish Lookout, Belize.

Read full article here!

Keywords: Mennonites; community; enterprises; labour; women.

Suggested APA reference: Roessingh, Carel & Mol, Linda. (2008). Working ladies: Mennonite women in the enterprises of Spanish Lookout, Belize. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business – Int J Enterpren Small Bus, Vol. 5, No. 3/4, pp. 241-256.