Global Subcontracting and Women Workers in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

This chapter provides a comparative analysis that examines the impact of the global subcontracting system on Vietnamese women workers in relation to other Asian countries, namely the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan. The insights from workers’ experiences in a socialist country contribute to a framework which studies women workers in labour-intensive industries such as textile and garment industries. The methodology employs both statistical and narrative analysis. Sharing a concern with Benmayor, I provide an analytical framework and at the same time give voice to the Vietnamese women workers (Benmayor, 1987, p. 10), the experiences of whom are presented through their own narratives within the conceptual framework of a global gender division of labour. I provide concrete examples from in-depth interviews with four women garment workers and two women directors from several state-owned and private garment firms (see Annex for list of interviewees).

I would like to thank Melanie Beresford and Nguyen Huong for their invaluable comments on this chapter, and the interviewees whose narratives provide significant and moving insights into this global industry. This chapter is dedicated to My Mother who encourages me to bring a human face to my analysis, and to all garment and textile workers who toil everyday in Vietnam.