Proximity, embeddedness and evolution: The role of networks in the development of the informal female labour market for glove manufacturing in Gaozhou county, China

Abstract

By introducing geographic social capital, this paper highlights the role of social and spatial proximity in facilitating the spatial agglomeration of the informal female labour market for glove manufacturing in Gaozhou. It examines the town-village nodes within the network, interacting with pre-existing rural conditions to display discursive uncertainty. Further, it focuses on the agency manifested by different actors within the multi-layered nodes, capturing the resources embedded in the network in the specific geographic context or milieu.The results suggest that spatial proximity promotes social proximity, but also generates spatial lock-in, which can be avoided by becoming a ‘focal actor’ or a ‘boundary spanner’. The boundary between the ‘core’ and the ‘periphery’ has become blurred. The social value of skilled workers located near the top of the network has changed. The node of village farmers at the end of the network has become increasingly important; they are perceived to be a ‘reservoir’ of labour resources. The survey results show a compound social network of establishments and workshops that mainly feature an informal network within the specific context of geographical localities. ‘Hybrid spaces’ discovered through ethnographical immersion investigation embody the spatial embeddedness of social relationships and cultural constructions in the glove manufacturing workplace, reemphasizing the importance of people as a resource in the sustainability of rural development.