ABSTRACT
The impact of globalization on the lives of people of all nationalities, ages and ethnicities has accelerated in the past two decades. There has also been a growing acknowledgement that these processes of globalization have resulted in mixed consequences for men and women, but particularly for women in the developing world. This chapter examines some of the benefits and negative consequences afforded to women in the developing world as the result of new opportunities for economic empowerment presented to them by globalization. The analysis will begin with an overview of how production processes have sought to chase cheap and compliant labour in the export-oriented processing zones (EPZs) of different countries, resulting in new employment opportunities for women. Some of the negative consequences of neoliberal globalization, including the exploitation of women working in EPZs, and the threat of exploitation and abuse of women workers will then be explored. The chapter then considers how the international migration of women has rapidly increased as a result of these new opportunities, and how the feminization of labour has contributed to a shift in traditional gender relations within societies. Finally, the chapter describes some of the diverse and ‘subtle strategies’ employed by women as a response to the current challenges caused by neoliberal policies, and as a way of negotiating a sense of place within patriarchal societies which are slow to change. This includes a focus on how young women are developing new forms of feminism by drawing upon global images of young people reflected in the media. The chapter’s main objective is to reveal how, even though women are taking a prominent role in the processes of globalization, they are not automatically benefiting from these endeavours.
