In a tomato processing plant in the Dominican Republic, women predominate in assembly line operations requiring both dexterity and speed. Similarly, in Morocco, women are valued for dexterity and patience, whereas men generally are selected for training that gives them skills that are recognized with increased wages. The low-skilled jobs in which women predominate, in addition to being the lowest paid and most laborious, also offer the least job security. To overcome socialized expectations that pigeonhole women into certain tasks, employers need to develop objective and open standards for judging employee performance and rewarding employees who perform well. Health and Safety Concerns.
Many tasks involve physical risk.
Health risks are common among workers who handle fertilizer and pesticides without protection. Women can be exposed to hazardous materials by washing clothes or touching plants with residual chemicals. Because this exposure is gradual and indirect, diagnosing subsequent health disorders and tracing them to their source are difficult. Personal safety hazards of commuting sometimes limit women's choice of employment. Some countries, such as Egypt and Bolivia, have attempted to legislate women's safety by prohibiting them from working after sundown.