Women and Work in Mexico's Maquiladoras

by Altha J. Cravey

The emergence of global assembly plants is closely linked to the creation of a global female industrial labor force. Women and Work in Mexico's Maquiladoras examines this larger process in Mexico, where―despite a century of industrialization and a tradition of well-paid, highly organized, male workers―the maquiladora factories have turned to predominantly female labor. Exploring this dramatic shift, this book convincingly demonstrates how gender restructuring in workplaces and households has become a crucial element in the reorientation of Mexican development. The author compares Mexico's new industrial system with its historical antecedent and documents federal policy changes that have resulted in distinct patterns of gender, unionization, household form, and social welfare. Rich in ethnographic detail, the book uses the voices of workers themselves to provide an intimate look at how daily lives have been transformed―in ways that could not have been foreseen―by the national and international processes shaping the country's industrial transition.

190 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather dry and uninteresting read. I was excited to read this as it was a required book for my Shadow of the Mexican Revolution course and from the description it sounded like it would have a lot to say about women and the changing roles the played in Mexico in the latter half of the twentieth century. This, however, was not the case. While Cravey claims that’s exactly what this book will be about, women and gender roles, she spends more time saying that she’s going to get into these roles and less time actually dissecting these roles.

Cravey instead talks about the Maquiladoras, their locations geographically, and the economy in Mexico. Little does she discuss women’s and young girls roles in these Maquiladoras, the oppressions and the newfound freedoms in these work places, or the changing gender roles in Mexico from this work. She mentions them, sure, and goes on to say she’ll analyze it later. Well later never came.

Quite disappointing, but while it lacks in its actual analysis of women, gender, and Mexican culture, it excels in economic and geographical history of Mexico. So I guess there’s that.