From kitchens in bustling cities to fields in rural regions, migrant women form the invisible backbone of the global food sector. They plant, harvest, process, cook, serve and clean yet their contributions often go unnoticed, undervalued and underpaid.
While food brings people together, the industry itself often divides. For migrant women, it presents a particularly complex web of challenges that intersect gender, class and migration status.
Many migrant women work in the most insecure segments of the food sector: domestic kitchens, restaurants, cafeterias, farms and food processing factories. These jobs are frequently informal or temporary, with no contracts or protections. Wages are often below minimum standards, and long hours with no overtime pay are common.
Their undocumented or temporary legal status can make them vulnerable to wage theft and exploitation, with little recourse to justice.
Gender-based discrimination is widespread in the food sector and for migrant women, it’s often compounded by racism and xenophobia. Verbal abuse, sexual harassment and bullying by supervisors or coworkers are frequently reported and underreported.
Fear of retaliation or deportation prevents many women from speaking out, especially when they depend on their job for survival or for remittances to support family abroad.
Limited language skills can isolate migrant women in the workplace, restrict their access to rights and services and inhibit their ability to negotiate fair treatment. Even highly skilled women often find themselves trapped in low-paying jobs simply because of language limitations or lack of recognition for foreign qualifications.
Many migrant women are not only breadwinners but also caretakers. They often juggle long hours in physically demanding jobs with unpaid care responsibilities at homewhether for children, elderly relatives, or spouses. For those separated from their families, the emotional toll is enormous.
Despite these challenges, migrant women in the food sector are not just victims they are agents of resilience and change. Across the world, many are organising through unions, cooperatives and grassroots movements to demand better wages, safer conditions and respect.
The food that nourishes us often carries with it the fingerprints of migrant women working behind the scenes. Recognising their value is the first step.