ABSTRACT
Globalization depends on new technologies, like satellite television transmission and ultimately the Internet, that speeded communication. It depends on a new business organization-the multinational corporation-that generated more intricate economic relationships among different parts of the world in its quest for markets, and raw materials, cheap labor costs and loose environmental regulation. Inconsistencies in globalization also challenged the international consensus on women's rights. It was fine to sign agreements on equal pay for equal work, but many global corporations and local firms eagerly sought and found women workers whose main charm was exceptionally low salaries. The resurgence of religious and other conservatism, directed explicitly against changes in gender relations such as global consumerism or shared rights. Islamic, Hindu and Christian fundamentalists all urged a more traditional gender hierarchy and the importance of female modesty, and their voices were growing. Globalization remained a contested project overall, and gender focused many of the debates and uncertainties.
