Class Borders: Chinese and South Asian Canadian Professional Women Navigating the Labor Market

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Das Gupta ◽  
Guida Man ◽  
Kiran Mirchandani ◽  
Roxana Ng
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Professional Women ◽  
Class Borders

Unfree Labor in Colonial South Asia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Major
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
South Asian ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Colonial State ◽  
Colonial India ◽  
Debt Bondage ◽  
Unfree Labor ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
Asian Context

Various forms of labor obligation, coercion, and oppression existed in colonial India, but the supposed dichotomy between “free” and “unfree” labor was rarely absolute. European slave-trafficking, internal trades in women and children, domestic slavery, caste-based obligations for agricultural and other labor, and capitalist systems such as indenture represented distinct but overlapping forms of “unfree” labor in the South Asian context. Enslaved Indians were exported to various European colonial possessions in the 17th and 18th century or provided domestic services within the homes of both the European and Indian elites. Meanwhile, various preexisting local labor relationships such as begar, caste-based obligation, and debt bondage involved elements of coercion, control, and ownership that mirrored some of the characteristics of slavery. These underwent significant changes in the colonial period, as the colonial state both tapped into and sought to reshape the Indian labor market to suit the needs of the imperial capitalist economy.

Cultural Judgments

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Bauder
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Asian Immigrants ◽  
External Representation ◽  
Cultural Representations ◽  
Immigrant Labor ◽  
South Asian Immigrants ◽  
Market Structures

No one would seriously argue that South Asian men drive taxis because of their navigational superiority or that South Asian women are preternaturally inclined to sew. However, cultural representations of a more subtle nature are a common ideological tool to organize the labor market and match immigrants with particular jobs. Stereotypical perceptions of the cultural characteristics of immigrant workers can typecast immigrants into certain occupations. Yet, cultural labor market processes typically involve more than stereotypes. They include processes of social and cultural distinction aimed at reproducing prevailing labor market structures. In other words, the subordination of immigrants in the labor market elevates nonimmigrants into a position of relative superiority. Cultural judgments differ from the processes involving norms and conventions discussed in the previous chapter. The latter relate to internal, group-particular structures of engagement and prioritization that guide the behavior of immigrants. The former, on the other hand, involve the external representation of immigrants by nonimmigrants. Though conceptually distinct, the two processes are related in the manner in which they occur in the everyday. Group-particular norms and conventions often provide the basis for critical judgment by people outside the group. Emphasizing processes of cultural judgment links the segmentation of immigrant labor to the forces of social reproduction. It does not simply attribute segmentation to the characteristics of immigrants themselves. The focus in this chapter is on representation of embodied cultural markers and performances, such as clothing and speech patterns. I use the example of South Asian immigrants to examine how exactly these characteristics relate to the segmentation of immigrant labor. The human body can be seen “as a surface of inscription” (McDowell and Sharpe 1997: 3) that is subject to the reading and interpretation of employers and other labor market actors. It creates distinct labor market identities for South Asian immigrants that imply a special suitability for certain occupations. For example, one respondent remarked that the concierge of the office building in which she worked as a consultant asked her to sign the janitor’s book every day. Office workers are usually not asked to sign this book.

Paradoxes of Patriarchy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pallavi Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
South Asian ◽  
The United States ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
Ethnic Enclaves ◽  
South Asian Women ◽  
The South ◽  
Asian Immigrant ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
South Asian Immigrant

This chapter examines the paradoxes of patriarchy by drawing on the experiences of South Asian immigrant women in ethnic labor markets. Most South Asian women who work in the South Asian labor market in the United States are engaged in low-wage work within the ethnic labor market, employed by male-owned businesses and with little separation between the private and public spheres. The women and their families often live in same ethnic enclaves where they work. This chapter considers whether South Asian immigrant women's entry into a structurally stratified ethnic labor market creates a paradox in their lives. More specifically, it explores whether employment increases the women's bargaining power within the household and whether the close proximity between work and home facilitates working longer hours for little pay. The chapter reveals the paradoxes of immigration and gendered labor in ethnic enclaves. While the ethnic markets' familial/patrilineal structure creates social capital and a safe space for the South Asian women, it also makes them vulnerable to exploitation in terms of reduced wages and increased work hours.

scholarly journals Understanding the Critical Aspects of South Asian Labor Market: Implications and Policy Responses

2019 ◽  
pp. 29-45
Author(s):  
Md. Mamin Ullah
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Labor Force ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Labor Force Participation ◽  
Wage Growth ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Labor Force Participation Rate ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Critical Aspects

Objectives: This paper attempts to explore the critical insights into the labor markets of South Asian countries taking ILO’s Key Indicators of the Labor Market (KILM) as an example for illustrations. In addition, the paper puts its lens on addressing adequate policies and program responses at country level, especially for Bangladesh. Methodology: This is basically a policy-focused study focusing on an extensive analysis of existing relevant documents and literature. The paper has therefore adopted three steps methodological approach: collecting, scrutinizing and analyzing. The required data were collected from secondary sources including strategic papers, technical notes, conference proceedings, statistical reports, research articles, relevant books and e-materials of reputed international organizations such as ILO and World Bank. Findings: A critical review of the existing facts and documents has revealed that despite geo-political and ethnical differences, South Asian labor economies are characterized with homogonous labor market characteristics including low labor force participation rate, gender gap in employment and wages, notable labor dependency ratio, working poor, sluggish wage growth, low labor productivity, excessive working hours, high NEET rate, and a state of labor underutilization. In addition, countries differ in terms of policy issues, implementation levels, data availability and compliance to ILO’s decent work agenda to a large extent. Recommendations: An integrated labor policy incorporating the lessons and experiences of developed countries, opinions of stakeholders and labor specialists, balanced and diversified development programs, compliance to ILO’s decent work agenda, and collaborative works with national and international labor organizations are supposed to contribute to better functioning of labor markets. Implications: Although this region of the world is blessed with abundant labor force, a critical analysis has revealed several implications at both national and regional level. The current scenario of lower labor force participation rate and higher time-related underemployment indicate the absence of policies for the fullest utilization of this golden human resource. In addition, slow or negative wage growth and poor wages badly affect the living standards of workers. Despite the consecutive growth in industry and service sector, still the employment in this region is predominantly agricultural which in turn is largely responsible for informal employment. Value/Originality: This study is one of very few labor market studies focusing on the critical aspects of South Asian labor markets. The paper is therefore expected to add value to the existing field of regional labor market research. Academics, researchers, policymakers and stakeholders are largely be benefited from this study.

The biopolitics of declassing Palestinian professional women in a settler-colonial context

2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarab Abu-Rabia-Queder
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Professional Women ◽  
The Body ◽  
Palestinian Women ◽  
Politics Of Fear ◽  
Market Class ◽  
Colonial Violence ◽  
Patriarchal Power

This article argues that the biopolitics of declassing Palestinian professional women in Israel, which constitutes part of the logic of eliminating the native, is mediated by colonial violence that secures labor market class sovereignty for settlers. In this context, the term declassing refers to rendering this class invisible by disregarding the women’s presence and/or value in the labor market. The study unpacks the logic of elimination through the racialized, everyday lived experience of middle-class professional women in Bedouin society who succeeded in entering the Jewish workplace. These women face sophisticated erasure tactics, paralleling various manifestations of the direct politics of fear that discipline the body, will and mind, as well as indirect opposition reflected in the settler-colonial reinforcement of patriarchal power against women. This article reveals concealed violent forms of power practiced by the colonialists to declass Palestinian women and preserve colonialist class superiority in the labor market.

South Asian Stories: Firsthand Client Perspectives on Barriers to Accessing Speech-Language Pathology Services

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhi Mahendra
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Client Experiences ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Timely Access ◽  
Phenomenological Perspective ◽  
Case Vignettes ◽  
Language Pathology

This article details the experience of two South Asian individuals with family members who had communication disorders. I provide information on intrinsic and extrinsic barriers reported by these clients in responses to a survey and during individual ethnographic interviews. These data are part of a larger study and provide empirical support of cultural and linguistic barriers that may impede timely access to and utilization of speech-language pathology (SLP) services. The purpose of this article is to shed light on barriers and facilitators that influence South Asian clients' access to SLP services. I provide and briefly analyze two case vignettes to provide readers a phenomenological perspective on client experiences. Data about barriers limiting access to SLP services were obtained via client surveys and individual interviews. These two clients' data were extracted from a larger study (Mahendra, Scullion, Hamerschlag, Cooper, & La, 2011) in which 52 racially/ethnically diverse clients participated. Survey items and interview questions were designed to elicit information about client experiences when accessing SLP services. Results reveal specific intrinsic and extrinsic barriers that affected two South Asian clients' access to SLP services and have important implications for all providers.

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