Readings for the week of April 21-23:

Hadjicostandi, Joanna. "Facon": Women's formal and informal work in the garment industry in Kavala, Greece.

Tiano, Susan. Maquiladora women: A new category of workers?

In both of these articles the discussion is about relations of production between core and semiperipheral countries and the particular role women are observed in. Joanna Hadjicostandi examines the semiperipheral country of Greece, where women are engaged in the production of garments for export. She finds many similarities between the positions of women factory workers and women home or piece workers, although the latter work many more hours (twelve to sixteen hours a day). As in other countries, the women's wages are considered supplemental to the men's, resulting in no change in the household division of labor. She finds that, because of these cultural norms, women are reluctant to organize.

Tiano divides theories about the determinants of maquiladora employment into two categories: those that focus on the effects of male unemployment and those that focus on women as a new category. She finds no support for either hypothesis. But, she does find a contradiction between normative beliefs and behavior.

Definitions:

What is the difference between formal and informal work?

What is the difference between material and social reproduction?

What is an export processing zone?

What is meant by the term disarticulation? Which parts of these two studies describe disarticulation in the development process?

Development Processes:

Describe the conditions of development in Greece as described by World Systems theory. What are some of the paradoxes of the Greek situation which describe its position as a semiperipheral country?

Describe the process of global production, export processing zones, and the Mexican border.

Role of Women:

What was the role of women in the Greek context? How is it paradoxical?

What are the two hypotheses that Tiano tests? What are their assumptions about the role of women in relation to family and EPZs?

Research Design:

What are the methodological approaches of each study?

What are Hadjicostandi's hypotheses or findings? Does she have any? Are they explicit or implicit? Is her study inductive or deductive?

Findings:

How is the role of economic necessity related to women's involvement in waged labor in both cases? Why?

Describe the paradox of beliefs and behavior found in both studies.