Global feminization through flexible labor

Abstract

The emphasis on structural adjustment and labor flexibility in both developing and industrialized economies is rapidly altering the nature of employment. Women are being substituted for men and many forms of work are being converted into the kinds of jobs traditionally geared to women. International data on recent trends in female economic activity reveal that new types of labor data are needed to highlight the mechanisms of control over workers and the actual economic forms of vulnerability to which women are exposed. The paper concludes by posing questions that challenge the traditional concerns of donors and policy makers in many developing countries.