Gender, Subjectivity and Agency: A Study of Workers in Noida Export Processing Zone, India

Abstract

The paper analyses the discursive construction of the gender division of labour in machinemade jewellery production in the Noida Export Processing Zone (NEPZ), India. It examines the construction of gendered subjectivities of women and men in investing in the discourses about their work. Men constitute their masculine subjectivities by investing in the discourses around their work in master making, casting, and polishing as 'skilled' and 'tough'. Women's subjectivities are fragmented in that though they invest in the discourses constructing their work in wax and quality control sections as 'light', requiring 'eye for detail' and 'patience', they present disruption to the construction of their work and their identities as 'unskilled'. By challenging their discursive construction as 'unskilled' they negotiate and interrupt the power structures or what Ong (1991: 297) calls 'expand the space of political struggle in their everyday lives'.

‘Dirty Work?’ Gender, Race and the Union in Industrial Cleaning

“…The two women who crossed the GDL did not find ‘heavy duty’ particularly heavy. A similar conceptualization of men's work as ‘heavy’ and of women's work as ‘light’ has been noted in several other studies (Beechey and Perkins, ; Soni‐Sinha, , ).…”

“…She notes the ambiguities and complexities in the definition of skill, how it is related to masculinity and is socially constructed. Soni‐Sinha (, ) explores how men constitute their masculine subjectivities by investing in the discourses around their work as ‘tough’ and ‘skilled’. In our case study, men discursively construct their work identity in opposition to women, using ideas of ‘heavy’ and ‘tough’ to feed into their masculine identities and reinforce gendered work practices.…”

The impact of export processing zones on employment, wages and labour conditions in developing countries: systematic review

“…For the Dhaka EPZ in Bangladesh, Zohir (2001a, 2001b) documents a larger wage gap within the zones, although it is similar to factories outside the EPZ. However, Joekes (1987) for the Dominican Republic, Soni-Sinha (2010) for India (Uttar Pradesh) and Hein (1984) for Mauritius suggest that there is no impact of EPZs on the gender wage gap, and if any it is smaller in EPZs.…”

Reframing employee voice: a case study in Sri Lanka’s export processing zones

“…Yet, despite gendered recruitment practices, an emerging body of literature demonstrates that EPZ workers are demanding voice or indeed are attempting to carve out their own voice practices (Anner, 2011;Salzinger, 2003;Soni-Sinha, 2010;Ustubici, 2009), belying the image of the docile apolitical worker. This study contributes to empirical knowledge about everyday voice practices in EPZs, as well as theoretical insights on voice and opening up the space for further explorations of voice in contexts of union decline (Donaghey et al, 2012).…”