This article explores the family organization of work in small-scale dairy farms in Mexico. By drawing attention to the division of labour by sex, the paper explores how gender norms and tradition interplay with economic interests of profitability in defining who is able and accountable to perform each task. The article builds on ethnographic research in family dairy farms in Los Altos de Jalisco (Jalisco Highlands), Mexico. Based on qualitative data collected by in-depth interviews, focus groups and observation, the analysis focused on the division of labour by sex and age in the dairy, the fields, and the house. Findings suggest that family well-being emerges as a significant criterion in the allocation of tasks. The production of goods and services and the production of life convey in a unified process that overlap functions of the farm, containing productive activities, and the house, as the realm of the reproduction of life. Welfare emerges as a legitimate element for the analysis of the family economy, downplaying profit maximization and self-interest as the sole elements in decision making.

本文探讨了墨西哥小型奶牛场的家庭工作组织。通过关注按性别划分的劳动分工，本文探讨了性别规范和传统如何与盈利的经济利益相互作用，以定义谁能够并负责执行每项任务。这篇文章建立在墨西哥洛斯阿尔托斯德哈利斯科（哈利斯科高地）家庭奶牛场的民族志研究基础上。基于深度访谈、焦点小组和观察收集的定性数据，分析集中在乳品、田地和房屋的性别和年龄分工。研究结果表明，家庭幸福感成为分配任务的重要标准。商品和服务的生产以及生活的生产在一个统一的过程中进行，这些过程重叠了农场的功能，包含生产活动的房屋，作为生命再生产的领域。福利成为分析家庭经济的合法要素，而淡化利润最大化和自身利益作为决策的唯一要素。