ABSTRACT
Critics of globalization have argued that women are often disadvantaged in an economic process founded on liberalized trade, investment, and financial flows. This is related to the fact that the state’s role is often attenuated under such a policy regime, in part because the mobility of capital puts downward pressure on public spending, making it difficult to fund social spending and safety nets. Further, there is evidence that employment is increasingly insecure, and women are often slotted for the jobs with the least security. Finally, investment mobility is greatest in labor-intensive industries, where women are concentrated. Women are disadvantaged in efforts to bargain for higher wages, because firms can credibly threaten to relocate in such cases.
