Gender and Economic Change in the United States and Mexico, 1900-2000

Abstract

This article investigates the relationship between changing gender definitions and economic development in the United States and Mexico over the course of a century. On the basis of historical research and fieldwork, the author highlights the role played by the national state in both countries in defining the proper ambit and behavior of men and women. She maintains that gender is a central vector in the organization of class hierarchies. Then, the author discusses the effects of global economic integration on gender definitions, arguing that the present era is characterized by the virtual disappearance of the family wage and growing atomization of the labor force in terms of gender. Finally, she provides an analysis of strategic sectors differentiated in terms of gender, race, and national background. Included are women working in export-processing zones, a new technocratic class residing in global cities, displaced White workers, and radicalized urban populations.