Social organization and cooperative relationships for childcare in a rural community in North-Western Argentina

We describe relationships and resources involved in the social organization of childcare in a rural community, based on qualitative data obtained within the framework of an ethnographic research. Social support for caretaking comes mainly from parental ties, intergenerational and intragender cooperation and complementarity, and to a lesser extent, from domestic and institutional ties, the choice of which combines personal attributes, location, accessibility and trust. Evidence is provided on strategies and forms of social organization of sectors of the population that have been scarcely studied to serve as a basis for public policies to address diverse lifestyles.Se caracterizan los vínculos y recursos para el cuidado infantil en una población rural con base en datos cualitativos en el marco de una investigación etnográfica. El apoyo social para el cuidado proviene principalmente de vínculos parentales, de cooperación y complementariedad intergeneracional e intragénero, y en menor medida, de vínculos domésticos e institucionales cuya elección combina atributos personales, localización, accesibilidad y confianza. Se aporta evidencia sobre estrategias y formas de organización social de sectores de la población escasamente estudiados como base para políticas públicas que atiendan a la diversidad de modos de vida.We describe relationships and resources involved in the social organization of childcare in a rural community, based on qualitative data obtained within the framework of an ethnographic research. Social support for caretaking comes mainly from parental ties, intergenerational and intragender cooperation and complementarity, and to a lesser extent, from domestic and institutional ties, the choice of which combines personal attributes, location, accessibility and trust. Evidence is provided on strategies and forms of social organization of sectors of the population that have been scarcely studied to serve as a basis for public policies to address diverse lifestyles