Gendered Effects of Globalization 1. Global Cities & Labor Migration 2. The Grameen Bank & New Forms of Self Employment

Effects of SAPs on Women EDUCATION  Women lose ground (Ault & Sandberg)  Boys have priority over girls when cost of education rises. Cuts to other programs (housing subsidies, health clinics) & inflation Cuts to other programs (housing subsidies, health clinics) & inflation  Greater impact on women as family caretakers

EMPLOYMENT (in Developing Countries) Higher Unemployment in Formal Sectors B/C women are concentrated in:  vulnerable sectors (government clerks, electronics)  Gender stereotypes view women’s wages as secondary Added worker effects stronger for women (women forced to join labor market to help families)

Feminization of employment  Increased growth in “female” jobs (e.g., manufacturing, services, tourism) But, growth largely in:  non-formal sectors (e.g., domestic work, garment work) (See Ault & Sandberg) Increase in casual work  Temporary, P/T work Consequences: Consequences:  Women more vulnerable to exploitation  Women lose formal benefits

Feminized Survival Strategies 1.Self-employment  Growth of self-employment in small-scale businesses in developing countries. We will return to this and view a film on the Grameen Bank 2.Migration Increased migration of women to developed countries for work. Increased migration of women to developed countries for work.  Why Women? (Turn to Sassen)

Global Cities & Survival Circuits Saskia Sassen Globalization: Myth: Globalization eliminates unskilled work Reality (Globalization promotes class polarization) Reality (Globalization promotes class polarization)  Increase in professional jobs (information technology, finance) concentrated in “global” (1 st world) cities. Yielded the expansion of low-paid service jobs: Formal: Clerks, Janitors, Hotel Maids Formal: Clerks, Janitors, Hotel Maids Informal (the new serving class): Flow from consumption practices of professionals (e.g., nannies, housekeepers) Informal (the new serving class): Flow from consumption practices of professionals (e.g., nannies, housekeepers) Informal: Sweatshops, home-based work Informal: Sweatshops, home-based work

Feminization of service sector (domestic service, home-based garment work) Resulted in: Historical Shift in migrant work  Migrant workers are increasingly women.

Migration Circuits WomenGovernments Traffickers (sex and other types of informal work) Governments  Remittance Payments are a source of revenue for developing countries.  Governments implement worker programs to promote labor migration (see Philippines Overseas Employment Admin. Pg. 271).

Push & Pull Factors  Pull factor = growth of service jobs in 1 st world.  Push factor= unemployment, underemployment, loss of social safety net, and increased poverty in home country. Debt crisis & interest rates & Elimination of: Nationalized industries Small firms oriented to national market unemployment low wages

Summary Labor migration  Benefits to women: Increased economic independence despite low-wage work.  Problems: Feminized survival strategies overburdens women. Women experience informal low-wage work, loss of benefits, sexual and other forms of labor exploitation.

Revisit benefits: Changing gender roles and increased economic independence through self- employment. Information on Grameen Bank Film