Abstract

In Chile, commerce, and particularly retail, has been one of the main sectors absorbing female labor. Led by corporate holdings, this sector is characterized, among other aspects, by work shifts during "unsocial" hours, which are desynchronized from school schedules, making it more difficult to balance paid work with caregiving responsibilities. This presents a paradox, as women continue to bear a disproportionate share of caregiving duties. Based on eleven in-depth interviews with retail working mothers, who work or had worked in full time and/or 30-hours shifts and at least 5 years in the sector. The study identifies the caregiving strategies they have implemented to balance work and family, considering family life cycles, sector-specific working hour regulations, and public policies for work-life balance. Given the lack of state support and the inconsistency of paternal care, the study affirms that grandmothers have played a crucial role in sustaining the employment and retention of these workers in a sector characterized by unsocial working hours. The study recommends i) Reducing and making working hours more flexible so they adapt to workers' caregiving responsibilities, regardless of their sex and/or gender, while ensuring their salaries are protected. 2) Approving the bill to mandate the closure of retail stores at 7:00 PM.