Reshaping Empowerment: The Relevance of Violence within the New International Division of Labor Debate

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a theoretical discussion on the relevance of conflict, and particularly sexual violence, in the study of women’s factory work and its relevance to gender equality within low-income groups in the border. In doing so, I argue that women are active agents in the dynamics taking place in this context. Since low-income women find themselves powerless in the face of the structural and economic forces taking place in the development and border context, their actions and strategies should be acknowledged within the cultural domain, where values and identities play a crucial role in their finding a way out of gender inequality. A plausible way in which women’s actions can be thereby considered relates to women’s experience of their subordination and resistance within the household, beyond the material aspects which shape family gender relations. Introducing sexual violence as a significant element within the household dynamics, as well as the way in which women react to it, provides the means to alternative views of women and autonomy. In this context, the meanings women give to their experiences in daily life are particularly significant, since they are permeated by inherited cultural values. Contrary to popular belief, I argue that it is precisely from this world of values where women often find a way out of inequality as well as tine strength to move forward regardless of economic difficulty. The meanings given by women to their daily experiences are, therefore, crucial in finding their own path towards autonomy.