The focus of this study is to analyze how Nicaraguan workers in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors were affected by structural adjustment programs. I analyze three objective well-being indicators: health, education and material well being. Previous research on Nicaragua has investigated how structural adjustment has affected the agricultural and manufacturing sectors separately. This study aims to seek out how the two sectors are affected differently or similarly by structural adjustment.

The data analyzed for this research are from a survey conducted by Measure Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Measure DHS conducts nationally representative, population-based surveys in developing countries. My dependant variables include: literacy, highest education achieved, ownership of radio, ownership of telephone, number of rooms for sleeping, material used to construct the floor, and immunization for Diphtheria, Polio and Measles. Three departments were analyzed to represent the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Managua represents the manufacturing sector, Chinandega represents the agricultural sector and the RAAS, because of its autonomous nature is used as a control variable. This study utilizes two representative household surveys 1997(11528 households) and 2001 (11328 households). Data analysis revealed that the manufacturing sector made more improvements than the agricultural sector in education and material-well being, and the agricultural sector made more improvements than the manufacturing sector in health. Overall, Nicaraguan workers in the agricultural sector were worse off as a result of structural adjustment than workers in the manufacturing sector.