More and more, residents make their business on the sidewalks

On any given day in Boyle Heights, vendors set up food stands on sidewalks, hoping to draw customers with the scent of their delicacies. Women drape their fences with used baby clothes. And jewelry makers cover their wrists with colorful and luminous bracelets. They aren't the typical 9 to 5 vocations, but for many – especially women – in this mainly working class neighborhood, they are a way of life. “Women face a lot more barriers in getting a formal job than men. Women still bear most of the responsibility for child rearing and housework.” Part one of a four-part series on surviving in the informal economy, on Boyle Heights Beat.