Consecuencias territoriales de la explotación de Vaca Muerta. El caso de lxs docentes de Añelo

Abstract

The article analyzes the territorial consequences of unconventional hydrocarbons
exploitation in Vaca Muerta, a formation located in Neuquén Basin. After making a
brief tour of the main critical aspects that the activity brings, the work focuses on the
case of the teaching population of the town of Añelo, situated at the heart of the
operations. Due to the high cost of housing, a large part of the teachers who work in
Añelo, mostly women, are non-resident and must move daily to their jobs.
After an extensive period of protests, the Provincial Council of Education (CPE)
implemented in 2016 a transport system that replaced hitchhiking or private vehicles.
However, this important claim did not completely eliminate the contingencies that they
must face daily, since the time spent on the trip is added to the exposure to traffic
accidents, inclement weather and sexist violence. On this last aspect, it is necessary to
take into account that oil world concentrates male labor at all levels of hierarchy, argued
in rudeness, the need for strength in operational positions, long working hours, rotating
labor regimes or physical wear. The hydrocarbon extraction model reinforces the
traditional stereotypes that define roles for men and women.
Although traveling teachers performance could be affected due to the difficulties they
daily have to face, the research process allows us to postulate that they perform more
than satisfactorily. The managers interviewed highlight the high level of commitment
and teaching industriousness in terms of the pedagogical tasks and institutional
activities carried out in Añelo. The testimonies and surveys on which the research is
based give an account of the networks and bonds of solidarity built between the
colleagues to overcome the inconveniences and fulfill their responsibilities.
To theoretically frame the study, the categories of extractivism, neo-extractivism and
patriarchy are analyzed. Likewise, feminist economics contributions are presented,
especially those that promote socializing care public policies. For a territory to develop,
it is required that the fruits of economic growth result in a better quality of life for all its
inhabitants, present and future.