Harassment and lack of support resources undermine women seasonal workers' health

Harassment at work and sexual harassment, coupled with a lack of support networks and resources, perpetuate the exclusion of seasonal women, affecting their physical and mental health. This is the main conclusion of a study led by the University of Lleida (UdL) and the Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida), published in the journal Women's Studies International Forum. The research, which involved researchers from the Universities of Murcia, Almeria and the National University of Colombia, calls for public policies to guarantee the labour rights of these women and comprehensive care from social and health professionals.

The work has been carried out in four provinces of three autonomous communities - Huelva, Almería, Murcia and Lleida - through interviews with health, social services and non-governmental organisation staff. The professionals highlight two main issues regarding migrant women's agricultural work: on the one hand, feminised tasks, and on the other, situations of labour and sexual harassment, as well as the influence of partner relationships.

'Seasonal workers face significant challenges due to their migratory situation, precarious working conditions and gender vulnerability,' says Erica Briones, researcher of the GRECS group and professor at the University of Lleida. All this translates into consequences for their physical and mental health. Mainly muscle and joint pain, stress and anxiety.

Feminised tasks

While men are engaged in physically demanding jobs and tend to use agricultural machinery, women focus on more delicate functions such as packing, sorting and packaging fruit; 'in line with socially assigned gender stereotypes'. Witnesses report marathon working hours of up to 16 hours, with repetitive work, constant supervision by their superiors and no possibility of rest or breaks.

'Overcrowding, long hours and supervision cause them stress, anxiety and loss of perception of time,' the study says. On the other hand, 'when they work long hours standing in the same place, they experience back and neck pain and arthralgia in the hands due to repetitive movements', the experts add.

Harassment at work and sexual harassment

Respondents say that line supervisors in warehouses may continually verbally harass workers in order to increase performance. 'This creates a hostile and stressful work environment that fosters rivalry, competition and individualism among them,' the study maintains. Women seasonal workers, especially those working without a contract in warehouses or in the fields, are also vulnerable to sexual harassment.

Even 'farm or greenhouse managers blackmail them by demanding sex in order to get a job or a work contract', the research reports. Even so, these harassments are not usually reported either in Spain or in the women's countries of origin, since the victims in many cases 'are threatened with their lives, their permanence at work and/or the integrity of their families', according to the article. 'Another obstacle we have identified is the lack of legal resources and support available in the language of the workers, which limits their ability to seek justice,' adds Erica Briones.

The research findings underline the vulnerability of women seasonal workers. 'Despite their economic contribution, men control income and financial decisions, perpetuating unequal power dynamics within the couple. This situation is exacerbated by poor working conditions, including sexual harassment and labour exploitation, which are detrimental to women's physical and mental health,' the text states. 'The lack of legal, linguistic and cultural resources and the fear of reprisals make it even more difficult to seek support and justice; perpetuating the cycle of exclusion and social isolation of women migrant women in agriculture. For all these reasons, the researchers call for 'the urgent need to address these inequalities on multiple fronts'.

Text: Press UdL

Reference article: Mariana Loezar-Hernández, Agustin González-Rodríguez, Heidy Natalia Urrego-Parra, María del Mar Jiménez-Lasserrotte, María del Mar Pastor-Bravo, Erica Briones-Vozmediano, The vulnerability of migrant women working in agriculture in Spain: A qualitative study from the perspective of social and health professionals, Women's Studies International Forum, Volume 109, 2025, 103065, ISSN 0277-5395, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103065.