The Women

Poto Mitan:
Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy”

In Haiti, women are known in Haitian Creole as poto mitan , or central “pillars” of the economy and of family and social life. Many are single heads of households, and others are often responsible for bringing in income when their male partners become unemployed, are recruited to fight or must migrate for work.
Haitian women have long paid for the country’s debts, which they didn’t accrue, with their own time, labor and personal sacrifices. Today, they are not only supporting themselves and their families but building infrastructure and a culture of economic participation that has long evaded many of Haiti’s people.
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