scholarly journals Reproductive Work, Territorial Commons and Political Precarity in Peripheral Extractive Sites in Ecuador and Bolivia

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Cielo ◽  
Elizabeth López Canelas
Keyword(s):  
Women Workers ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Collective Identities ◽  
Informal Work ◽  
Political Identification ◽  
Political Dimensions ◽  
Gendered Work

This article examines the labour and political dimensions of non-salaried women workers in the extractive peripheries of Bolivia and Ecuador, to show how the appropriation of racialised and gendered work is a foundational aspect of the extractive logic of capital. We consider extraction in its broadest sense as the dispossession not only of resources but also of informal and reproductive work, and examine the ways in which the territorialised commons produced by, and necessary for, the interdependent activities to sustain life also form the basis of political identification and organisation. Territories as the making of places are fundamental for the constitution of marginalised collective identities. In peripheral sites where extractive logics have been socio-culturally and institutionally established, the literal and figurative common grounds for women’s social reproduction are reduced, individualising livelihoods and increasing physical, economic and subjective vulnerability. As such, the extraction of resources and of territorialised networks intersects with the historical appropriation of reproductive work to configure both material and political precarity. KEYWORDS: informal work; reproductive labour; extractivism; territory; commons

scholarly journals ‘Men own television’: why women leave media work

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 1207-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Women Workers ◽  
Media Production ◽  
Career Outcomes ◽  
Career Women ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Flexible Specialization ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
Media Work ◽  
Networked Economy ◽  
Gendered Work

While all media workers face challenges particular to flexible specialization in a networked economy, there are differences in career outcomes for men and women, which occur as a result of gendered work cultures. Within media production these gendered contexts manifest through three main factors, which compromise women workers and can eventually cause them to exit their professions mid-career. Women leave media work because of a combination of the gendered nature of work cultures, the informalisation of the sector and structural restrictions placed on women’s agency to participate in networks. The interplay of these factors ultimately creates an impossible bind for many female media workers forcing them to exit media work.

scholarly journals Addressing the interaction between food insecurity, depression risk and informal work: findings of a cross-sectional survey among informal women workers with young children in South Africa.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Horwood ◽  
Haskins Lyn ◽  
Hinton Rachael ◽  
Connolly Catherine ◽  
Luthuli Silondile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Women Workers ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Working Women ◽  
Household Food Insecurity ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Informal Work ◽  
Depression Risk ◽  
Household Food

Abstract Background: There is a high burden of depression globally, including in South Africa. Maternal depression is associated with poverty, unstable income, food insecurity, and lack of partner support, and may lead to poor outcomes for mothers and children. In South Africa one-third of working women are in informal work, which is associated with socioeconomic vulnerability. Methods: A cross sectional survey explored work setting and conditions, food security and risk of depression among informal working women with young children (0-3years). Depression risk was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS) and Whooley score. Food insecurity was evaluated using USAID Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Data was analysed using SPSS and Stata. Results: Interviews were conducted with 265 informal women workers. Types of work included domestic work, home-based work, informal employees and own account workers, most of whom were informal traders. Most participants (149/265; 56.2%) earned between US$70-200 per month, but some participants (79/265; 29.8%) earned less than US$70 per month, and few earned >US$200 per month (37/265; 14.0%). Many participants experienced mild (38/267; 14.3%), moderate (72/265; 27.2%) or severe (43/265; 16%) food insecurity. Severe food insecurity was significantly higher among participants with the lowest income compared to those with the highest income (p= 0.027). Women who received financial support from the baby’s father were less likely to be food insecure (p=0.03). Using EPDS scores, 22/265 (8.3%) women were designated as being at risk of depression. This was similar among postnatal women and women with older children. Household food insecurity was significantly associated with depression risk (p<0.001).Conclusions: Informal women workers were shown to be vulnerable with low incomes and high rates of food insecurity, thus increasing the risk for poor maternal health. However, levels of depression risk were low compared to previous estimates in South Africa, suggesting that informal workers may have high levels of resilience. Interventions to improve social protection, access to health services, and support for safe childcare in the workplace could improve the health and wellbeing of these mothers and support them to care for their children.

scholarly journals Workplace, emotional bonds and agency: Everyday gendered experiences of work in an export processing zone in Tamil Nadu, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 1357-1374
Author(s):  
Madhumita Dutta
Keyword(s):  
Women Workers ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Capitalist System ◽  
Form Complex ◽  
Emotional Bonds ◽  
The Everyday

This article advances labour geography’s understanding of worker agency by examining how women actively remake the workplace by forming emotional bonds and community on and off the shop floor. Based on 14 months of ethnographic research with women workers in a Nokia cell-phone factory, I prioritise attention to the ways that women act, live, work and struggle in their attempt to ‘rework’ or resist their work-life situations in a patriarchal capitalist system. I show that in the everyday practices and experiences of work and work life, women form complex feelings towards their workplaces, including a sense of self-worth and feelings of belonging and mutual care. Work is more than just a job. The research urges greater recognition of the ways in which: (a) agency is produced in the workplace through the everyday social practice of care and emotional bonds that women form with each other and, through that, to their work; (b) that agency acts both as a form of resistance and as a form of attachment to the workplace; and (c) for women, work is not just about wages – nor is it just about social reproduction through the family – it is also about the social reproduction of new identities and forms of community that are forged at work, which both shape and are shaped by their experiences as workers.

scholarly journals A descriptive study to explore working conditions and childcare practices among informal women workers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: identifying opportunities to support childcare for mothers in informal work

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Horwood ◽  
Lyn Haskins ◽  
Laura Alfers ◽  
Zandile Masango-Muzindutsi ◽  
Richard Dobson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Women Workers ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Rural Site ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Informal Work ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Informal Traders

Abstract Background Although women working in the informal economy are a large and vulnerable group, little is known about infant feeding and childcare practices among these women. The aim of this study was to explore childcare practices among mothers in informal work. Methods A cross-sectional survey among mothers with children aged < 2 years working in the informal economy in an urban and a rural site in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Results A total of 247 interviews were conducted with 170 informal traders and 77 domestic workers. Most mothers lived with their child (225/247, 91.1%), had initiated breastfeeding (208/247; 84.2%) and many were still breastfeeding (112/247; 45.3%). Among 96 mothers who had stopped breastfeeding, the most common reason was returning to work (34/96; 35.4%). Many mothers relied on family members, particularly grandmothers, to care for their child while they were working (103/247, 41.7%) but some mothers took their child with them to work (70/247; 28.1%). Few fathers participated in the care of their child: 54 mothers (21.9%) reported that the father had ever looked after the child while she was away from home. Domestic workers were less likely than informal traders to take their child to work (p = 0.038). Women reported receiving a salary from an informal employer (119), or being own-account workers (120) or being unpaid/paid in kind (8). Most participants were in stable work (> 4 years) with regular working hours, but received very low pay. Domestic workers were more likely than informal traders to have regular working hours (p = 0.004), and to be earning >$240 per month (p = 0.003). Mothers reported high levels of food insecurity for themselves and their child: 153 mothers (61.9%) reported having missed a meal in the past month due to lack of resources to buy food, and 88 (35.6%) mothers reported that their child had missed a meal for this reason. Conclusion This study provides a preliminary description of informal women workers who, despite having stable work, are vulnerable, low paid and food insecure. These women may require support to provide optimal childcare and nutrition for their children.

Dust and Dignity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erynn Masi de Casanova ◽  
Maximina Salazar
Keyword(s):  
Social Reproduction ◽  
National Level ◽  
Domestic Work ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Class Relations ◽  
Informal Work ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Women's Lives ◽  
The Common ◽  
Work Histories

What makes domestic work a bad job, even after efforts to formalize and improve working conditions? This book examines three reasons for persistent exploitation. First, the tasks of social reproduction are devalued. Second, informal work arrangements escape regulation. And third, unequal class relations are built into this type of employment. The book provides both theoretical discussions about domestic work and concrete ideas for improving women's lives. Drawing on workers' stories of lucha, trabajo, and sacrificio—struggle, work, and sacrifice—the book offers a new take on an old occupation. From the intimate experience of being a body out of place in an employer's home, to the common work histories of Ecuadorian women in different cities, to the possibilities for radical collective action at the national level, the book shows how and why women do this stigmatized and precarious work and how they resist exploitation in the search for dignified employment. From these searing stories of workers' lives, the book identifies patterns in domestic workers' experiences that will be helpful in understanding the situation of workers elsewhere and offers possible solutions for promoting and ensuring workers' rights that have relevance far beyond Ecuador.

scholarly journals Nation, Ethnicity, Milieus, and Multiple “We’s”. The Case of Kenya

Humanities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Dieter Neubert
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
The Other ◽  
Collective Identities ◽  
Political Identities ◽  
Political Identification ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Binary Oppositions ◽  
The One

The title of the volume “Future Africa—beyond the nation?” has several implications. Nation is presented as an entity relevant to identification and identity; and in the combination with “future”, nation implies a political vision. It is not hard to find good examples in respect of these implications. However, there are other entities important for to political identification. Often, they do not go beyond the nation but refer to smaller collective identities, such as ethnicity. The revived debate on “the middle class” implies that particular social groupings, such as class, may play a role, too. The question is how relevant are the nation and other collective political identities in Africa, and are they exclusive? Looking at the case of Kenya, we see on the one hand that collective (political) identities, such as ethnicity, are mobilized especially during elections. On the other hand, these collective identities are less dominant in everyday life and give way to different conducts of life (conceptualized as “milieus”) that are less politicized. We see people maneuvering between multiple “we’s”. Strong political identities are mobilized only in particular conflict-loaded situations that restructure identities in simple binary oppositions of “we” and “they”.

scholarly journals Addressing the interaction between food insecurity, depression risk and informal work: findings of a cross-sectional survey among informal women workers with young children in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Horwood Christiane ◽  
Haskins Lyn ◽  
Hinton Rachael ◽  
Connolly Catherine ◽  
Luthuli Silondile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Women Workers ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Working Women ◽  
Household Food Insecurity ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Informal Work ◽  
Depression Risk ◽  
Household Food

Abstract Background There is a high burden of depression globally, including in South Africa. Maternal depression is associated with poverty, unstable income, food insecurity, and lack of partner support, and may lead to poor outcomes for mothers and children. In South Africa one-third of working women are in informal work, which is associated with socioeconomic vulnerability. Methods A cross sectional survey explored work setting and conditions, food security and risk of depression among informal working women with young children (0–3 years). Depression risk was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS) and Whooley score. Food insecurity was evaluated using Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Data was analysed using SPSS and Stata. Results Interviews were conducted with 265 informal women workers. Types of work included domestic work, home-based work, informal employees and own account workers, most of whom were informal traders. Most participants (149/265; 56.2%) earned between US$70–200 per month, but some participants (79/265; 29.8%) earned < US$70 per month, and few earned > US$200 per month (37/265; 14.0%). Many participants experienced mild (38/267; 14.3%), moderate (72/265; 27.2%) or severe (43/265; 16%) food insecurity. Severe food insecurity was significantly higher among participants with the lowest income compared to those with the highest income (p = 0.027). Women who received financial support from the baby’s father were less likely to be food insecure (p = 0.03). Using EPDS scores, 22/265 (8.3%) women were designated as being at risk of depression. This was similar among postnatal women and women with older children. Household food insecurity was significantly associated with depression risk (p < 0.001). Conclusions Informal women workers were shown to be vulnerable with low incomes and high rates of food insecurity, thus increasing the risk for poor maternal health. However, levels of depression risk were low compared to previous estimates in South Africa, suggesting that informal workers may have high levels of resilience. Interventions to improve social protection, access to health services, and support for safe childcare in the workplace could improve the health and wellbeing of these mothers and support them to care for their children.

Comparing Australian garment and childcare homeworkers’ experience of regulation and representation

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 346-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Delaney ◽  
Yee-Fui Ng ◽  
Vidhula Venugopal
Keyword(s):  
Women Workers ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Day Care ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Family Day Care ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Social Mobilisation ◽  
Jel Code ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities

Labour markets in Australia have long been segmented by gender and race. This study compares two highly gendered and racially segmented labour markets, home-based family day care workers and garment homeworkers. The comparative cases examine the broader trends of migration, production and consumption that reinforce gender and racial stereotypes, and discourses that underpin representations that women workers are ideally suited to such work. We theorise the gender and racialised inequalities of homework based on the literature on invisibilisation and social reproduction to explore the vulnerable position of migrant women and the consequences of having limited options, such as legal and social protections and any capacity to collectively organise. Our analysis examines the roles and responses of institutions and conceptualises the socio-political factors that affect the characterisation of homework as non-work or as self-employed entrepreneurial activities. By mapping the differing regulatory trajectories of these two groups of homeworkers in terms of regulation and representation, we find both similarities and differences. While garment homeworkers have achieved recognition through legislation and social mobilisation, their circumstances leave them less likely to access such rights. By contrast, the failure to recognise family day care homeworkers, has left them to market forces. JEL code: J01

scholarly journals Correction to: Addressing the interaction between food insecurity, depression risk and informal work: findings of a cross-sectional survey among informal women workers with young children in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Horwood ◽  
Lyn Haskins ◽  
Rachael Hinton ◽  
Catherine Connolly ◽  
Silondile Luthuli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Women Workers ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Informal Work ◽  
Depression Risk

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document