Rural homes and family life strategies in Mexico

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to describe and compare income levels, sources of income, and expenses of rural households in Mexico from 2002 to 2014. Based on the enigh, a typology of households was constructed based on income derived from businesses. It was found that the number of households with income from the agricultural sector decreased over this period; the number of members of a household was related to source of income; multiactivity has increased – a combination of activities and sources of income –; and there was a real loss of purchasing power. The main source of household income came from employment, although 25% of the population was unemployed Families mainly spent money on food, clothing and housing. Households with greater dependency on agricultural activity had less income, and depended more on remittances, government support and self-consumption. These families resorted to the diversification of income as a family strategy for survival.