GENDER AND THE

GLOBAL ECONOMY
Valentine M. Moghadam

Janine Fischer, Nicole Siebold

 Agenda AGENDA
I. Biography
I. Biography
II. The Global Economy: Economic Restructuring and
II. The Global
Globalization
Economy
III. Restructuring, Women‘s Labor, and Gender Ideology
III.
a. Proletarianization
Restructuring,
b. Professionalization
Women’s
c. The Informal Sector
Labor,
and d. The Income Gap
Gender
e. Unemployment
Ideology
IV. Structural Adjustment and the Feminization of Poverty:
IV. Making
Making Gender Visible
Gender
Visible V. Conclusion

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 2
 Valentine M. Moghadam
Agenda

I.
Biography
• Born 1952 in Teheran
II. The Global
Economy
• Feminist scholar, activist, and
III. author focusing on develop-
Restructuring,
ment and female employment in the Middle East
Women’s
Labor,
and
• Professor of Sociology and Director of the Women’s
Gender Studies Program at Purdue University, Indiana
Ideology

IV. Making • Worked for the United Nations as chief of gender

Gender
Visible quality and development

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 3
  II. The Global Economy:
Agenda  Economic Restructuring and Globalization
I. Biography
Definitions
II. The Global
Economy
Gender: an asymmetrical social relationship
III.
Restructuring, between women and men based on perceived sex
differences and on ideology
Women’s
Labor,
and Global Economy: increasingly integrated and
Gender
Ideology interdependent system of capital-labor flows across

IV. Making regions, between states and through transnational

Gender corporations and international financial institutions
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 4
 Agenda
Gained importance, due to advances in:
I. Biography • Information technologies
II. The Global • Transportation technologies
Economy • Expanded forms of investments
• The end of protectionist trade regimes
III.
Restructuring,

Women’s Two dimensions of global economy:

Labor,
and • Economic restructuring: changes in the
Gender organizations of production
Ideology • Globalization: outward-oriented and transnational
nature of economic activity
IV. Making
Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 5
 Agenda
Focus on developing countries:
I. Biography
• from an exclusive concentration on export of raw
II. The Global materials and agricultural production to the
Economy production of manufactured goods and growth of the
service sector.
III.
Restructuring,
Newly Industrialized Countries:
Women’s
Labor,
• Industrialized, proletarianized and upper-middle-
and
Gender income countries
Ideology • Examples: South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Singapore,…
IV. Making
Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 6
 Agenda
Structural Adjustment Policies:
I. Biography

II. The Global

• Aim: balance budgets and increase competitiveness
Economy • Denationalization of state holdings
III. • Privatizing of social services
Restructuring,
• Invitation of foreign investment
Women’s
Labor, • Promoting of exports
and
Gender
Ideology

IV. Making
Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 7
 III. Restructuring, Women’s labor and Gender
Agenda Ideology
I. Biography
In the past:
II. The Global • Favorization of white male workers
Economy • Exploitation of women and of members of
III.
disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups
Restructuring,
Today:
Women’s • Open economies
Labor,
and
• New trade regimes and
Gender • Competitive export industries
Ideology • “Feminization of labor”

IV. Making
Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 8
 III. Restructuring, Women’s labor and Gender
Agenda Ideology
I. Biography
“Feminization of Labor”
II. The Global
Economy • Five characteristics:
III.
Restructuring,
a. Proletarianization
Women’s
Labor, b. Professionalization
and
Gender c. The Informal Sector
Ideology
d. The Income Gap
IV. Making e. Unemployment
Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 9
 a. Proletarianization
Agenda

I. Biography
• Began in the 1970’s
II. The Global
Economy • Period of capitalist development and economic
growth
III.
Restructuring, • Developing countries: women in labor-intensive and
low-wage industries
Women’s
Labor, • In 1985: women earned 47% of men’s earnings
and
Gender • In 1984: 98% of Bombay’s workers are women
Ideology

IV. Making
Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 10
 b. Professionalization
Agenda

I. Biography • Process of feminization continued also in the

public service sector
II. The Global
Economy • Women’s share rose from 30% to 50%

III. • Increasing participation of women in the

Restructuring, labor force and improvements in education

Women’s • Today: various occupations and professions:

Labor, • Law
and • Banking
Gender • Accounting
Ideology • Computing
• Architecture
IV. Making • ..
Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 11
 c. The Informal Sector
Agenda

I. Biography • Informal sector: outside purview of state and social

II. The Global security
Economy
• E.g.: unregistered and small-scale urban enterprises,

III. homework, self-employment, commercial and productive

Restructuring, activities

Women’s
Labor, • Many formal jobs have become “informalized”
and  increase in employer’s flexibility, labor costs, and production
Gender
costs
Ideology

IV. Making • Danger: insecurity, low wages, absence of benefits

Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 12
 d. The Income Gap
Agenda

I. Biography
• Social relations of gender account for pervasive
II. The Global
Economy income gap (IG) between men and women

III. • On average, women earn 75 percent of men’s

Restructuring,
wages (UNDP 1995)
Women’s
Labor,  IG is detrimental to women, but lucrative to employers
and
Gender
Ideology • IG is found mainly in the private sector, public sector

IV. Making tends to reward women more equitably (e.g. Egypt)

Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 13
 e. Unemployment
Agenda

I. Biography • Unemployment rates of women (URW) are very high

II. The Global (class bias and gender bias)
Economy

III. • Unemployed women are often new entrants to labor

Restructuring,
force seeking but not finding jobs
Women’s • E.g.: Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Chile: 30%, 10%)
Labor,
and
Gender
• URW also reflect job losses and technical
Ideology improvements
IV. Making
Gender • Note: high unemployment represents downside of
Visible
globalization and econ. restructuring
V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 14
 IV. Structural Adjustment and Feminization of
Agenda Poverty: Making Gender Visible
I. Biography

II. The Global

Economy • Standard texts do not integrate a gender dimension
III. into their analyses
Restructuring,

Women’s
Labor,
• Currently, researchers are theorizing the relationship
and between gender and macroeconomic processes to
Gender
Ideology map out strategies for transformation

IV. Making
Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 15
 IV. Structural Adjustment and Feminization of
Agenda Poverty: Making Gender Visible
I. Biography
• Structural adjustment policies…
II. The Global
• …heighten the risk and vulnerability of women and children in
Economy
households
III. • …causes women to bear most of responsibility of coping with
Restructuring, increased prices and shrinking incomes

Women’s • …increase economic activity on the part of women and children

Labor,
and
Gender • Why do economic crises and structural adjustment hurt
Ideology
women more than men?
IV. Making • Social relations of gender
Gender • Nature of market reforms
Visible
• Internal reasons depending on peoples home

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 16
 IV. Structural Adjustment and Feminization of
Agenda Poverty: Making Gender Visible
I. Biography

II. The Global • Economy effects of gender, globalization, and restructuring

Economy
on women:
III.
Restructuring, • Lower consumption and fewer benefits
• Constrained mobility of labor
Women’s
Labor, • Higher unemployment rates and labor force participation
and • Concentration of women in low-wage employment sectors, in
Gender
Ideology the informal sector, and “flexible” labor
• …
IV. Making
Gender
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 17
 Agenda
Women’s involvement in waged and non-waged labor
I. Biography arrangements has been striking
II. The Global
Economy • Global accumulation as the driving force of the world-
system not only hinges on class and regional differences
III.
Restructuring, => gendered process

Women’s • Various forms of deployment of women’s labor reflect

Labor,
and asymmetrical gender relations and patriarchal ideologies
Gender
Ideology • But involvement of women in global economy and national
IV. Making labor forces has also served to interrogate and modify
Gender gender relations and ideologies
Visible

V.
Conclusion
11.08.09 18
Thank you for your attention.