Globalization and GenderGlobalization and Gender

The gender inequalityThe gender inequality

Make up 2/3 of the world's illiterate population Make up 2/3 of the world's illiterate population Comprise 2/3 of the exploited informal workforce Comprise 2/3 of the exploited informal workforce Own 1 % of the world's resources and earn 1/10 of the Own 1 % of the world's resources and earn 1/10 of the world's income world's income Occupy only 18% of seats in the world's parliaments Occupy only 18% of seats in the world's parliaments 70% of the worlds poor are women 70% of the worlds poor are women 80% of the worlds refugees are women and girls 80% of the worlds refugees are women and girls (UNHCR 2002) (UNHCR 2002) Violence kills more than twice as many women aged 15-Violence kills more than twice as many women aged 15-44 every year than do malaria and war combined (WHO 44 every year than do malaria and war combined (WHO 2005) 2005)

What is missing?What is missing?

In those definitions of globalization? In those definitions of globalization?

What can a gender perspective tell us we What can a gender perspective tell us we would otherwise miss?would otherwise miss?

Marchand & RunyanMarchand & Runyan

ConnectednessConnectedness““What are the gendered constructions of the new global What are the gendered constructions of the new global political economy? How can we reconceptualize global political economy? How can we reconceptualize global space from a gender perspective? These questions space from a gender perspective? These questions imply that global restructuring represents nothing less imply that global restructuring represents nothing less than the than the construction, reconstruction, and construction, reconstruction, and transformation of categories of knowing, which tend transformation of categories of knowing, which tend to produce new gender biases as well as reifying to produce new gender biases as well as reifying othersothers””

. p 20.. p 20.Copyright © 1999. Routledge. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999. Routledge. All rights reserved.

Human agencyHuman agency

Globalization is not ‘natural’ or ‘larger than Globalization is not ‘natural’ or ‘larger than us’us’

Globalization is a result of human acts Globalization is a result of human acts

Globalization vs Global restructuring? Globalization vs Global restructuring? What is the significance of seeing it as What is the significance of seeing it as restructuring?restructuring?

Re‘structuring’Re‘structuring’

A shift or change in structuresA shift or change in structures

What is structure? What is structure?

What are structures?What are structures?

““Persistent social practices made by Persistent social practices made by collective human activity and collective human activity and transformed by collective human transformed by collective human activity”.. (Cox)activity”.. (Cox)

Gender and ‘Structure’Gender and ‘Structure’

Gender works at three levels: Gender works at three levels:

IdeologyIdeology

Social relations Social relations

PhysicalityPhysicality

Also interacts with other forms of Also interacts with other forms of inequalities such as class, race, ethnicity, inequalities such as class, race, ethnicity, citizenship and so on. citizenship and so on.

““[t]his involves understanding the world ‘out [t]his involves understanding the world ‘out there’ (practices, institutions, structures of there’ (practices, institutions, structures of social re/ production), how we think social re/ production), how we think (meaning systems, ideologies, paradigms), (meaning systems, ideologies, paradigms), and who we are (subjectivity, agency, self and who we are (subjectivity, agency, self and collective identities) as interacting and collective identities) as interacting dimensions of social reality” (Peterson dimensions of social reality” (Peterson 1997:185). 1997:185). Marchand and Runyan p 27. Marchand and Runyan p 27. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/oculyork/Doc?id=10166http://site.ebrary.com/lib/oculyork/Doc?id=10166324&ppg=27324&ppg=27 Copyright © 1999. Routledge. All rights Copyright © 1999. Routledge. All rights reserved. reserved.

Global restructuringGlobal restructuring

Ideology: markets more efficient than stateIdeology: markets more efficient than state

markets are ‘blind’ they don’t discriminatemarkets are ‘blind’ they don’t discriminate

Social relations: market-mediated social Social relations: market-mediated social relations are better than state-mediated relations are better than state-mediated ones ones

Physicality: markets efficiently ‘allocate’ Physicality: markets efficiently ‘allocate’ roles according to capacity and supply roles according to capacity and supply (e.g. the ‘nimble fingers’ idea)(e.g. the ‘nimble fingers’ idea)

Women in textile chains Women in textile chains

IdeologyIdeology

Social relationsSocial relations

Physicality Physicality

So what exactly is wrong with this?So what exactly is wrong with this?

Cost breakdown of a global productCost breakdown of a global product

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lormand/http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lormand/poli/nike/nike101-8.htmpoli/nike/nike101-8.htm

Why is this so?Why is this so?

Can this change?Can this change?

The coffee chainThe coffee chain

http://www.planetbeancoffee.com/http://www.planetbeancoffee.com/resources/index.phpresources/index.php