ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how the integration of informal production into the homes of low-income families alters established social and spatial patterns. Because it is a remunerated rather than a subsistence activity, home-based production has significant implications for gender roles in the family and in society at large. The chapter explores how the spatial juxtaposition of productive and reproductive activities affects the organization of homes and families. This chapter discusses the gender division of home-based work and the influence of patriarchal gender images and identities. This chapter examines the spatial modifications that occur in homes accommodating economic activities. The chapter addresses the relationship between gendered divisions of labor and spatial patterns and the role of space not only in expressing but also in influencing social relations of gender. This chapter argues on the qualitative analyses of my field observations and interviews with homeworkers during both phases of field research.
