Maquiladora Women: Facts

80% of the Maquiladora workforce is comprised of primarily women, typically young women. Many supporters of the Maquiladora system argue that Maquiladoras provide these women with opportunities that they would not ordinarily have in the regular Mexican labor market. Many maquiladoras provide the opportunity not only for work for women, but as well provide transportation to and from work, and often a free meal in the company cafeteria. These benefits, however, come with several stipulations. If a worker were to miss a day’s work for whatever reason, the worker is then not allowed to take advantage of the free transportation or meal for the remainder of the week. Without these benefits, often workers are unable to make it to work and result in a losing their jobs.

While ratio male to female in the Maquiladora work force has evened out more in recent years, Women still comprise, up to 89%, of low skill, low wage jobs.³ Women are often forced into these positions due to lack of seniority as well as an inability to obtain skill training. Annually, women receive a mere 8 days training while men are reported to receive up to 22 days training.

A major issue in Maquiladora workforce is that of turnover. An average Maquiladora can be expected to experience a cumulative turnover of 85 % a year, with some experiencing over 100% turnover annually.¹ Turnover intrinsically affects the labor capital of women. With increase in seniority, in turn there is seen an increase in skill and overall wage earning potential. Of the group comprising the least seniority (0-9 months) women and men were equally split, but the group with the greatest seniority was significantly more populated by men.³

Gender differentiation in the workforce is not accidental. Often Maquiladoras specifically target women for specific types of employment. A common phrase “Personal Femenino” is used to specifically note the desire for women to be hired for positions.³ Of a study done on job advertisements in one Mexican newspaper, over 39% specified gender in the job requirements.