Limitations of this Research

Every research project carries inherent limitations. This research has a few; stemming from the theoretical framework as well as the position of the research as a foreign body outside of the studied subject.

TFT, while comprehensive in its adherence to dissolution of essentialism, TFT can actually prove problematic in attempts to establish a system of change. TFT, as it calls for the recognition of differences, makes it difficult to collaborate among scholars.

Essentialism must be overcome in order to seek the greater good of collaboration of women across borders, socioeconomic status, color, and religion. As stated by Uma Narayan in Decentering the Center, "although there may be no essential quality- biological, social or cultural- that women share, one that binds them together is common cause.”

Additionally, collaboration between scholars, often western, and local activists can be complicated. As women are not to be culturally or gender essentialized, it is often hard for them to find common ground on which to stand to establish coalitions which could reform systems of injustice. A western scholar, studying the systems of oppression with Maquilas under TFT may find it difficult to establish collaboration with local Mexican women, although they ultimately seek the same goal. Often, local activists see outsiders, again typically westerns (read: American, English, middle class), as arriving with ulterior motives. As addressed in much criticism of TFT scholars, when conducting research, who are you truly doing it for? The “Third World” woman (insert stereotypes already discussed including sexualized, ignorant, backwards, need to be saved), or truly for women?

International Standards on Labor

The international community has established several that are seen as key for deployment of equity, safety, and improvement within the workforce and work environment. Several aspects of the International Labor Standards (ILS) include provision for health of the employee, working environment in regards to pollution, noise, and vibrations, protection from discrimination within employment and even provisions for women with familial obligation.
Women are often responsible for the caring of both the elderly and young, making their financial contribution to the family vital. The physical contribution in caring for others is essential as well, so when a woman experiences great health risks within her working environment such as those experienced daily by Maquila workers, it has the potential to effect the entire family.
Discrimination, as defined in the ILS documents is “any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction, or social origin, which ahs the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation.”

Some areas of concern for prevention of discrimination include equal opportunities for training, equity of treatment within the workforce, and discouraging practices of existing discrimination.
The ILS even has rigorous provisions for the treatment of indigenous workers, migrant workers, dockworkers, even for fisherman. A notable exclusion within provision is for the treatment of women workers, as is the example in Maquiladoras across Mexico, there is stark difference in treatment and advance of women than men within the factories. Exclusion of women as a category of concern as an employee is significant as women are at particular risk within the workplace.

Women, even in some of the most developed countries, are often behind men in both training and advancement opportunities as well as monetary compensation. While according to the very definition proposed within the ILS documents this is clear discrimination, little is said within in the International community as ways of correcting the situation.

Death By Culture

A deep rooted connection between the disposability in Mexican culture of women and a similar attitude toward women workers of the Maquiladoras, is the foundation for understanding the subordination of Maquiladora women in all aspects of the “system.” The system, therefore, comprised of cultural Machismo which allows male jealousy and mistreatment to be rather freely enacted upon its women of perceived lesser value. Machismo is exemplified in the public justification that “men will be men” for the Juarez killings, as well as the blanket “untrainability” of women workers.

Death by culture, as coined by Uma Narayan, is portrayed in the complete lack of cultural regard for the safety and thriving of, in this instance, its women. A culture that has essentially already cast particular women aside as expendable from birth

The responsibility of the foreign nations in the situation of death of Maquila women by Mexican culture is the advantageous position a foreign company receives when employing a consistently replaceable workforce. Turnover keeps training costs low, wages even lower, and compensation for workers at a minimum. “Foreign capital has taken advantage of Mexican patriarchy to exploit women.”

Therefore, are American Multinational Companies which operate factories in Mexican borders, responsible for conditions within these factories which would not be tolerated on United States soil? Does a culture of Machismo and subordination of women justify the treatment of Maquila women?

Does the United States hold any ethical obligation to its Maquila workforce?

A FEW SMALL SNIPS

"Becuase in Mexico, killing is quite satisfactory and natural"
--Frida Kahlo

(In response to her decision to paint a pleasant face on the man in this scene)

Maquilidaras and Disposability of Women

Discussed throughout scholarship, there is a prevailing stereotype of the Third World woman as rural, naïve, and incredibly sexualized. Melissa Wright in her analysis of the astonishing number of murdered and abused women in the City of Jaurez address this tendency to “blame the victim.”

(Crosses marking graves of murdered women in Jaurez)

A practice of blaming the victim has become standard toward mistreated women working and living in Maquiladora towns. The discovery of mass graves in the desert containing the bodies of hundreds of murdered women, most of whom were never even recognized as missing, was cited by the Mexican officials as an issue of behavior and dress of the victimized women. Believing that no real respectable woman would be out dancing or drinking in the city after dark, and therefore would not be in a position to be murdered, many felt the death of these women was a direct result of their sexual behaviors. For the men, who murdered, raped, and abused these, women could not be held accountable for their actions toward promiscuous, suggestively dressed women for, “Men will be men.”⁷

These beliefs held firm even after one woman survived a brutal attack and was deserted in the desert, only to name her bus driver, hired by the Maquiladoras, as her attacker. It was her commute to and from work, a service provided by the Maquiladoras, which put her in danger; nothing to do with questionable behavior.

I propose a deep connection exists between the disposable attitude toward the women of Jaurez, and other Maquiladora towns, and the treatment of these women within the Maquiladoras themselves. On the tenets of Wright’s argument presented in “The Dialectics of Still Life: Murder, Women, and Maquiladoras,” the attitude of women perpetrating their own decline in value can be seen both in the reaction to the Jaurez murders and the dismissal of high female turnover rates.

Many Maquiladora managers site women as inherently non-trainable and disloyal; therefore female turnover is only natural. Many women are never offered training, which leads to turnover as women burn out on highly detailed, low skill, repetitive tasks. Many women are medically forced to seek new positions after as little as year as the current task they perform has worn out some aspect of their body. With time, Maquiladora women depreciate (be it in society or in the workforce) from something of value, to that of waste.

“Mexican women depicted in the murder narratives as a life stilled by the discord of value pitted against waste…[ultimately] how does the value of her presence measure against the value of her absence?”⁷

The revolutionary documentary Senorita Extraviada

A short film clip from the documentary.

Maquiladoras and NAFTA

In January 1994, Mexico, the United States, and Canada signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) creating the largest trading bloc in the world. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created a system that eliminated tariffs, quotas, and other trade barriers between the three countries over a fifteen year period (Hashemzadeh, 1997) Economists believed that with the elimination of barriers to trade overall economic income would rise throughout the continent. There were skeptics to this new agreement who predicted that the addition of Mexico to the trade group, with its significantly lower wages, would result in an exodus of industrial jobs from the United States (U.S.) and Canada.


Overall, trade between Mexico and the United States rose from $98.3 billion to $134 billion in the first two years after signing the agreement (Hashemzadeh, 1997). While maquiladoras were already in place before NAFTA, Mexico saw a surge in their productivity after its trade agreement with the U.S. and Canada.


Economics aside, the central issue of NAFTA is that of ethics. Discussion dissecting the ethical implications of supporting a system with substandard wage and employment practices is necessary to determine if the economic benefit outweighs the ethical deficit. Ultimately is it ethical to encourage a system of trade which encourages low wages and substandard working conditions, as long as those conditions are not on U.S. soil?


While NAFTA has greatly benefited Mexico economically through increased exports, strengthened confidence of international investors, and a surge in production, there are intrinsic problems with a system of substandard labor conditions and unequal treatment. Since the onset of NAFTA there has been a steady increase in maquiladora production, a labor force comprised mainly of unskilled, untrained women. Maquiladoras, while providing work for those that may not otherwise have the opportunity for employment, promotes a cycle of low-wage jobs with a high turnover rate due to the demands of strenuous manual labor. Additionally, this turnover rate is encouraged by maquiladora owners as it creates a constant influx of new workers, keeping wages low.


From a business standpoint it must be argued that NAFTA has benefited its member nations. For the longevity of this union, however, there are certain standards of morality that must be addressed including labor conditions and compensation that apply to the production of all products exported from each country. Issues of base levels of pay, working conditions, maternity and sick leave, and opportunities for advancement must all be discussed before a successful trading future is possible between any members of NAFTA. Allowing one country in the agreement to continue practice that would not be acceptable in the others is at its base unethical.

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.