Economic Restructuring, Financial Crises, and Women's Work in Mexico

Dados Bibliográficos

ID2485149
AutoresEmilio A Parrado (0000-0001-5179-6502, Duke University, autor correspondente), René M Zenteno, René Zenteno
Ano2001
Volume48
Fascículo4
Páginas456-477
Data de publicação2001-11-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSocial Problems (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0037-7791 • E-ISSN: 1533-8533
EditoraOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1525/sp.2001.48.4.456
PMID17668516
OpenAlexW2073862826
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas25
Referências citadas25

This paper contributes to our understanding of the social impact of economic restructuring and globalization in Mexico by analyzing changes in entry-level employment across three generations of Mexican women. Using retrospective data, we relate the divergent period conditions represented by each cohort to the process of labor market incorporation and other facets of first employment, namely first occupation, class of worker, and firm size. The analysis tests human capital, new international division of labor, and household strategy explanations of the response of female employment to macro-economic fluctuations. Results indicate that rising levels of human capital were central to increases in women's labor force participation across generations and improved labor demand conditions during growth cycles were an important impetus for women's incorporation into professional and more formal types of employment. We also find support for international division of labor perspectives, as women's representation in manufacturing (maquiladora) employment grew substantially over time. Overall, household survival theories best captured the effect of economic restructuring and globalization on women's work. Economic downturns and financial shocks triggered women's labor market incorporation, particularly among married women, lending strong support to the idea that in periods of economic uncertainty women join the labor market in order to diversify household earnings and protect against deteriorating family incomes. However, this labor market push was concentrated in domestic and self-employed occupations and in smaller firms, findings that portend challenges to the long-term prospects of women's work in Mexico

Demographic economics · Division of labour · Earnings · Economic growth · Economic restructuring · Economics · Globalization · Human capital · Labor demand · Labour economics · Market economy · Restructuring · Wage · Education and Labor Relations · Finance · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality

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