Women and Children Workers Involved in The Rubber and Palm Oil Plantations: Motivations and Impact on Family Income in Jambi Province

This paper reports on the authors’ ongoing research with women and children’s workers in the plantations. It is to study their motivation of the involvement in the rubber and palm oil plantation and its impact on family income. To meet these objectives the qualitative method was used comprising: observation, secondary data review, and interviews by employing open-ended questions, which used to generate a greater perspective on the experiences of women workers and children as laborers in rubber and palm oil plantations. The results of the study indicate that women participate in the rubber plantation is to support family income in fulfilling family’s daily needs. On the other hand, women's income from palm oil plantations is an additional income for saving or investment, because household expenses have already covered by the husband's income. For children's motivation to work in the rubber plantation is to help their parents to meet the daily needs and to support their education. There are no children workers found in palm oil plantations.