“Feminization of labor is a term that describes emerging gendered labor relations born out of the rise of global capitalism. It is feminization of the workplace, which is a trend towards greater employment of women, and of men willing and able to operate with these more feminized workplaces. Feminization of labor is a result of expansion of trade, capital flows, and technological advances. Gender discrimination, violence, sweatshops, and sexual harassment are some of the adverse results of feminization of labor. Multinationals prefer women in [the] labor force as women have long since worked for lower wages and are less likely to organize.”
Understanding how labor is feminized is important because it affects how global labor laws are enacted, defines what work is valued and what work is not, and demonstrates transnational issues of gender and sexual equality. This also articulates how certain labor is deemed illegitimate, thus creating a gap between paid work and non-paid work (which is traditionally feminized). It is important when considering transnational feminisms because it recognizes the international structural disadvantages women face while calling into question class stratification of differently privileged women.
The above definition was taken from a compendium of labor laws and legal definitions used in the United States. I found this definition encompassed much of what has been discussed in class pertaining to feminized labor but recognize there is much more to this topic than just this brief definition.
Source: US Legal, Inc. (n.d.). Feminization of Labor Law and Legal Definition. Retrieved from https://definitions.uslegal.com/f/feminization-of-labor/
URL: https://definitions.uslegal.com/f/feminization-of-labor/
Keywords: feminization, labor, capitalism, gendering, globalization, development
Author: Kaelin Blanchard
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