The Political Economy of Feminization: From “Cheap Labor” to Gendered Discourses of Work

Abstract

Scholars have argued that the feminization of industrial work in developing countries since World War II is primarily a result of women being the cheapest source of labor in the global economy. I argue that scholarship on feminization underestimates the power of gender in labor markets by framing it primarily as an issue of lower wages. This article shows how gendered discourses of work-ideas and practices about men and women providing distinct forms of labor-play a critical role in the feminization process. While agreeing with feminization theorists that competitiveness in export sectors forces employers to reduce production costs, I show that firms and sectors facing similar competitive constraints deploy varied gender divisions of labor in production. Gendered discourses of work not only illuminate processes of job allocation and reallocation at the firm level but also provide a means of connecting shop-floor gender divisions of labor with broader gendered patterns of industrialization and help to explain puzzling empirical patterns. They are as important as, and in some cases more important than, wages. By tracing the processes through which work is gendered and regendered, the analysis opens the black box of feminization and shows how changes in industrialization policy set in motion gendered transformations that ultimately resulted in the feminization of manufacturing work in Indonesia.

Feminization and Labor Vulnerability in Global Manufacturing Industries: Does Gendered Discourse Matter?

“…Referring to this question, findings show various gendered discourses; women are docile and sincere in their jobs, hardly ever change their jobs, are satisfied with low labor benefits including wages, are less likely to join trade unions, and create fewer disturbances in the factory (Paul‐Majumder & Begum, ). All of these arbitrarily constructed and practised beliefs in the factories are consistent with the feminization of the workforce (Elson & Pearson, ; Caraway, ). The research findings clearly indicate that female workers are preferred by employers (see also Acker, ; Nash & Fernandez‐Kelly, ).…”

“…Many feminist scholars (Elson & Pearson, ; Lim, ; Safa, ) argue that feminization is the inevitable consequence of searching for cheap labor to reduce production costs. By departing slightly from this argument, some scholars (Caraway, ; Marchand & Runyan, ; Razavi, ) have argued that gendered discourses of work are more important for feminization and exploitation of labor than the economic forces of cheap labor. Neither of these arguments has properly perceived the influence of gendered discourses of work.…”

“…Scholars have argued that the increase in the feminized workforce has happened as a result of searching for cheap labor (Elson & Pearson, ; Nash & Fernandez‐Kelly, ; Standing, ) and this has lead to labor exploitation. On the contrary, some scholars (Caraway, ; Marchand & Runyan, ; Razavi, ) have argued that economic views of feminization undermine the influence of gendered discourses about labor. They have claimed that global manufacturing industries’ preference for female workers does not merely happen as a result of searching for cheap labor; rather, gendered discourses of labor are the main influencing factor for feminization of the labor force.…”

“…The gendered discourses of labor refer to the gender‐biased beliefs that provide distinct forms of labor for men and women. These beliefs justify labor exploitation and gender discrimination at the workplace (Caraway, ). While agreeing with these two dominant views, this paper argues that both “economic choices of cheap labor” and “gendered discourses of work” jointly enforce the feminized pattern of the labor force and lead to the violation of labor rights that serve the economic motive of cheap labor.…”

Territorial (In) Coherence: Labour and Special Economic Zones in Laos's Border Manufacturing

“…Higher female rates have been attributed to less access to employment within local labour markets and the increased cultural acceptability of migration generated by space‐compressing infrastructure (Khumya and Kusakabe ). The gender balance of migration was especially relevant in that factories engaged in a social construction (Caraway ) of the labour force which hired young women due to their perceived aptitude for detailed tasks and docility (factory managers, 13 January 2014; 16 May 2014). Factories thus appeared to be chasing a segment of the labour market which was more likely to migrate and so apparently this had the unintended consequence of inhibiting recruitment.…”