The Gender and Racial Construction of the Working Class: Temporary Mobility of Mexican Women Workers to the US and Canada

Abstract

Labour precariousness, notably manifested in the loss of formal jobs, stagnation of wages and labour uncertainty, has increased on a global scale. Previous explanations for precariousness have focused on flexible models of production, yet this approach has tended to overlook the fact that precariousness forms a part of modern colonial capitalism and gender identity. Based on the results of an empirical, ground-breaking ethnographic research, this paper analyses the stratification of productive tasks on a global scale, from the system of gender hierarchies, racialization and stratification leading to the exploitation and precariousness of workers. The arguments put forward are endorsed through the experiences of Mexican women who travel to the United States and Canada, to work temporarily in the hotel, restaurant and agriculture sectors. This analysis reveals how women workers in particular are constructed and instituted as a racialized surplus, allowing employers to legitimate labour exploitation and perpetuate social hierarchies.