Producing Women: Producing Women: Femininity on the Femininity on the

LineLine

By: Jennie LesmeisterBy: Jennie Lesmeister

Maquiladora IndustryMaquiladora Industry

““On the line”-On the line”-assembly lineassembly line

Mexico’s Northern Mexico’s Northern borderborder

First established in First established in the 1960’sthe 1960’s

Widespread Widespread recruitment of recruitment of young womenyoung women

Maquiladoras Cont.Maquiladoras Cont. First-world male First-world male

breadwinners losing breadwinners losing their jobs to girls their jobs to girls from the third-worldfrom the third-world

Modeled after export Modeled after export processing plants in processing plants in East Asia: operate East Asia: operate under a feminine under a feminine idealideal

Feminized Industry; Feminized Industry; but not occupied but not occupied solely by womensolely by women

Docile and Dextrous WomanDocile and Dextrous Woman

Productive femininityProductive femininity Marianismo (once again)Marianismo (once again) Standard in which all potential Standard in which all potential

workers are assessedworkers are assessed Docility, no matter who displays it, is Docility, no matter who displays it, is

produced on the shop floorproduced on the shop floor

Annette Fuentes and Barbara Annette Fuentes and Barbara EhrenreichEhrenreich

Early analysts concerned with gender in Early analysts concerned with gender in export processing workforcesexport processing workforces

Argue that high levels of surplus due to Argue that high levels of surplus due to access to cheap laboraccess to cheap labor

Exploitation of docile and dextrous womanExploitation of docile and dextrous woman Saw women as being predisposed this Saw women as being predisposed this

wayway– Managers believed in this ready-made Managers believed in this ready-made

workforce tooworkforce too

Gender FixityGender Fixity

Gender varies across social arenasGender varies across social arenas ““Envisioning subjectivity as fixed makes Envisioning subjectivity as fixed makes

such processes invisible, thus making it such processes invisible, thus making it impossible to see that femininity matters in impossible to see that femininity matters in global production not because it accurately global production not because it accurately describes a set of traits, but because it describes a set of traits, but because it functions as a consecutive discourse which functions as a consecutive discourse which creates exploitable subjects.”creates exploitable subjects.”

The self is always in [re]constructionThe self is always in [re]construction Gender is relativeGender is relative

Femininity/MasculinityFemininity/Masculinity

““Femininity and masculinity are relational Femininity and masculinity are relational categories which operate fundamentally categories which operate fundamentally through contrast with each other whether through contrast with each other whether or not that process is made explicit in or not that process is made explicit in any particular case. As a result, as one any particular case. As a result, as one moves through levels of social moves through levels of social complexity, what counts as feminine or complexity, what counts as feminine or masculine often shifts, as at each level masculine often shifts, as at each level the attempt to see what goes where the attempt to see what goes where necessarily operates on the terrain of old necessarily operates on the terrain of old oppositions, creating new contrasts in the oppositions, creating new contrasts in the process. Thus ‘feminine’ on one level process. Thus ‘feminine’ on one level can be ‘masculine’ at the next…can be ‘masculine’ at the next…

Colliding/Contradicting Colliding/Contradicting spheresspheres

““Take sewing gloves in a factory: one could Take sewing gloves in a factory: one could imagine a cultural context in which it would imagine a cultural context in which it would be marked as masculine in contrast to work be marked as masculine in contrast to work in the home; then within the category of in the home; then within the category of paid work as feminine in contrast to paid work as feminine in contrast to construction work; and still again within the construction work; and still again within the category of garment production as category of garment production as masculine in contrast to sewing lingerie. masculine in contrast to sewing lingerie. None of these activities are inherently either None of these activities are inherently either feminine or masculine, of course, but the feminine or masculine, of course, but the process whereby they become gendered is process whereby they become gendered is an inherent aspect of how gender functions.”an inherent aspect of how gender functions.”

Need for Ethnographic Need for Ethnographic Study Study

Author Leslie Salzinger demands a Author Leslie Salzinger demands a more effective technique for more effective technique for observing export productionobserving export production

Enter social world of productionEnter social world of production Grasp processes of subject Grasp processes of subject

creation creation Hiring and labor controlHiring and labor control

Frederick Taylor Frederick Taylor

Father of “scientific Father of “scientific management”management”

Advocated keeping Advocated keeping workers from making workers from making any decisions at allany decisions at all

Aimed at converting Aimed at converting subject to objectsubject to object

SchmidtSchmidt ““Taylorism”Taylorism”

Workplace ControlWorkplace Control

Interpellation-the process whereby a Interpellation-the process whereby a subject is created through recognizing subject is created through recognizing her or himself in another’s naming.her or himself in another’s naming.

Works through implicit as well as explicit Works through implicit as well as explicit statements and through meaningful statements and through meaningful practices as well as through language.practices as well as through language.

One on one supervision; worker as a toolOne on one supervision; worker as a tool– isolationisolation

ConclusionConclusion

Managers assess what is possible and acceptable Managers assess what is possible and acceptable in gendered terms, measuring efficiency and in gendered terms, measuring efficiency and productivity with reference to, and sometimes in productivity with reference to, and sometimes in terms of, the global icon of productive femininity.terms of, the global icon of productive femininity.

The docile and dextrous woman is a fantasy The docile and dextrous woman is a fantasy brought to life on and for the shop floorbrought to life on and for the shop floor

This analysis would predict that factories exist in This analysis would predict that factories exist in which workers and managers struggle directly which workers and managers struggle directly over the definition of legitimate femininity or over the definition of legitimate femininity or masculinity, as part of a larger struggle over masculinity, as part of a larger struggle over control of the shop floor itself.control of the shop floor itself.