Maquiladoras and Mujeres

A maquiladora in Mexico.

Mujeres are joining the workforce and one of the most common jobs they take on is work at the maquiladoras. In México a maquiladora is a manufacturing operation in a free trade zone where they work with products that are mostly send to the United States. The term maquiladora in Spanish refers to the practice of millers charging a maquila (miller’s portion) for processing other people’s gain.

It can be said that mujeres are forced to work into the maquiladoras and the gender roles of mujeres and men are being challenged. There is more than 500 maquiladoras operating in Ciudad Juárez.  ]

Ciudad Juárez is a popular site for Unite States companies to place since the factories have very low cost and optional taxes. Unfortunately the rising of maquiladoras or not the only thing that is happening but it is one of the most popular sites of femicide (this would be discuss in another post.)

Working in a maquiladora does have its benefits because workers are better financially off than they would be anywhere else. It can also be “said” that the environment in a maquiladora are in good condition to work in a city. Mostly women are employed in the maquiladoras.  Even though most factories have an official policy of hiring only mujeres aged sixteen or older, many workers can forge documents and be hired as twelve or possibly younger.

Mujeres working in a maquiladoras

In a culture where I have said that machismo takes place the years of sexist attitude have created a pay gap. Mujeres bodies are being exploited because the factory owners know they can be paid ridiculously low wages, since men should be the leaders of the household and mujeres should not work because of their submissiveness.  Mujeres who are submissive are easier for the companies to exploit them since they can accept these conditions without fighting back. Mujeres are made and accepted to work in dire conditions with often no lunch breaks and very short lunch period. Mujeres who tried to stand up for better working conditions are immediately dismissed. These companies are able to fire them so easily because mujeres are simply bodies in the factories that can be easily replaced. The work is unskilled and the person is not important as long as the work is done and the product created.

Once a mujer is hired in a maquiladora they had to face struggles to get to work. The conditions in which the mujeres traveled to can be dangerous to their bodies. In a country where femicide is encouraged mujeres are in danger. Mujeres who walked home alone or to work alone, usually disappear. The companies do not care and even try to make mujeres walk home alone or late hours where abduction is easier. There is a huge murder of women happening in the Ciuadad Jáuerz and the next post would show the horrors of what is happening. I asked myself why is México not making any changes to protect their mujeres and I made this post for you all to see one of their struggles they faced.

Resources:

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_cult/courses/knowbody/f04/web2/sjorgensen.html