Hutterite women and work
Date
1986
Authors
Looney, Patricia Lorene
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Abstract
This is an ethnographic description of the work roles of women in the communal society of Hutterian Brethren. The Hutterites are a fundamentalist Christian society, which lives in communal farming settlements called colonies in the Canadian and American prairies. Two colonies in Alberta were studied, through a three-month period of participant observation and informal interviewing. The structure of women's work is described, including the structural hierarchy, work roles, work load, work patterns, and work schedules. The work of Hutterian women is compared to that of non-Hutterite farm women, and the value of farm women's labour is discussed in light of different approaches to economic theory.