Abstract
The article is based on a research which conducted in two export zones in Philippine, to examine the linkage between work, gender, health and technology in the export zone as the consequence of the globalized economy. The study showed that the growing of export oriented industries which are followed by the use of new information technology as the intensification strategy in order to maximize the productivity, not only changed the work place, but also shaped gender division of labor and create new hazard and illness. Women as the majority of the worker threaten by new hazard and illness. Illness is no longer understood from the medical lens, but also through social lens, in where the social and material conditions also lead illness or social production of illness.
The globalization process not only alerted by the moving of people and information technology, but also capital. As a response to globalization, many countries develop their economic zones in order to boost their economic growth and strengthened the national economy. Along with the emerging of economic zone, in order to intensify the production, information technology is being used.
The emerging of economic zone also leads the feminization of labor phenomenon, in where there is high demand of women worker, especially in the garment and electronic company. The feminization of worker can not be separated from stereotype and also capitalist economy. Women are preferred rather than men because of the perception on women worker as low skilled and cheap labor and also their characteristic such as patient, docile, attuned to do boring, monotonous and repetitious task also women’s nimble fingers. This kind of perception leads the assumption that women are fit to the global definition of productivity (Lu,2007). Not surprisingly, beside identical with information technology and global capital, economic zone also identical with women workers.
As well as another developing country, economic zone became one of the economic strategies of the Philippine government. One form of the economic zone is Economic Processing Zones (EPZs). The formed of EPZs opened job opportunity to the Filipinos, and it employs more than half a million Filipinos with the majorities of the worker are women. The high number of women worker in EPZs, also can be found in Bangladesh, thousand of women working in the factories producing garment for export (Car, 1998). The emerging of EPZs seems giving opportunity to the women, but in her study, Edralin (2001) found that the company hired women, because they need people who are capable of repetitive and meticulous work and want to bring wages even lower. It means that the high demand of women worker is because of the perception and stereotype of women.
As well as the economic zone, the existence of EPZs can not be separated by the used of information technology in terms of maximizing productivity and profit. As the consequence, information technology has changed the working environment, such as fast pace of work, possibility to do multitask job etc. Beside these positive sides of new technology, it also brings negative side. The used of new technology caused some kind of health problem, and women as the majority of worker are being threatened because of it. It worsened by the race to the bottom, which keeps low wages and less social benefit, so the women as the majority of labor in the disadvantage position.
Through her research in Laguna and Cavite zones (two of the big EPZ in Philippine), Jinky Leilanie Lu showed how globalized economy through the garment and electronic industries in Philippine economic zone and also the use of information technology has affected women workers’ health. Beside wrote well organized article, she also give significant evidence through her research finding related with health condition of the women worker in two EPZs in Philippine. It was very important, to give explanation on women worker health condition and how the used of new technology and also globalized economy affected women’s worker health. Moreover, there are very few studies on women workers’ health (Attanapola, 2005), and it means that this article would enrich the information on women workers’ health with local specific.
Based on the research findings, the most of accidents which are reported by women workers are eye infection due to dust and wound due to sharp objects, while the most reported illness are headache, body ache also cough and cold. The research also found that the use of information technology create the new hazard and illness. The bad working place is exacerbated by the bad impact of information technology use which is change the condition of work.
The women worker also face bad working environment such as the implementation of apprenticeship system in the garment industry, over time work, less social benefit, bad condition of the workplace and too much work demand. The use of technology has created new forms of hazards and new types of organizational management. It also leads to intensify work, contributed on producing physical and psychological ill health (Lu, 2007). The article showed how bad working environment triggered stress and manifested on illness. There are also new health issue, such as chronic sleep debt, ‘mystery disease (could not be differentiated), and persistent fatigue. It means that the use of new technology not only caused physical illness but also producing mental illness, meaning health and illness can not defined by purely physical term but also consider on psychological effect on health and well being (Doyal & Pennell, 1979).
These research findings support the idea of social production of illness in the relation of work, technology and health. It means that illness is no more the product of biological/ physical agent and process but also because of social and psychosocial forces that influence the pattern and expression of illness (Burry: 2005). The relation between social-psychosocial factors (pressure of work, overload time and work, less social benefit, etc) and illness; is also explained by Scambler with effort-reward imbalance model. He argued that jobs which combine a high degree of effort but low level of gain in the form of financial or emotional rewards, employment security or career advancement lead to emotional distress, job strain and illness (Scambler, 2008).
In the end of the article, Lu argued the importance of accountable agencies in order to regulate the processes and procedures related with occupational health, the need of informal and formal capital for the women workers, also social responsibility and response from company and state. Furthermore the author suggest that the findings on the research can help on formulating policy in order to strengthen formal capital in terms of laws and regulation to protect workers (especially women).
Based that research, it is implicitly seen that the women worker face double situation. First in terms of globalization, in where women as the cheap labor and hired because of the perception of women worker, and the second one in term of the used of information technology. The use of information technology to maximize productivity and profit, not only affected the division of labour but also occupational health. These kinds of condition related each other and positioned women in the vulnerable position.
On my opinion, information technology is neutral. In term of health, the use of information technology can gives bad effect to everybody, whether women or men. But, in the reality because of the gender inequality, information technology gives impact to women and men differently. For example the gender division of labour as the result of gender inequality, that divide feminine and masculine job and it was strengthened by the stereotype and perception of women as I already mentioned earlier. This situation has placed women and men in the different position and situation, and further the different position and situation give different consequence. Because of the perception and gender division of labour, mostly women positioned in the repetitive, monotonous and low skilled job and these kind of job affected women worker’s health. Furthermore the situation is exacerbated by the women sub-ordinate position in where women have less power and the institutionalized of women roles.
The article only focuses on women, although it also a little bit compared the situation between female and male supervisor. In my opinion it would be better if the author also explain the different kind of female and male worker’s job and also the occupational illness that face by female and male workers. It would give better understanding in terms of how information technology affected women and men’s health differently.
The used of information technology, the working environment and the situation in the EPZs can not be separated with neo liberal system in the light of capitalism. As mentioned by Eliang that the effect of occupational health hazard in the third world are likely to be serious rather than the advanced capitalist countries (Doyal & Pennell, 1979). The third world as a source of cheap labour and resources should compete each other. As the impact the company giving less social benefit to the workers and seems did not care with the occupational health, because they only focus on how to maximize the productivity. Lu (2007) also mentioned that health is associated with the politics of representation of women in the new international division of labour. Meaning that health also determined by content and context of development. In the Philippine case, in order to maintain the low wages of labor and maximize productivity, the company hired women worker, and they face health risk because of the working condition.
In order to understand the effect of technology to the occupational hazard, we should consider the social differentiation in the society. And it is not about women and men, but also among women, among men, between developing and developed country. Technology gave impact to each group differently; as White (2009) argued that the experience of sickness and disease is an outcome of the organizational of the society. It means that social differentiation leads different risk of illness, even difference access to health and health care (Doyal, 2002).
To conclude, the used of information technology and in terms of globalized economy give positive and negative side. The positive side is giving opportunity to the women to gain economic independence and also help to maximize productivity and doing multiple tasks. But, in other hand it also has negative impact in terms of occupational health, which gave different impact to women and men worker due to the division of labour. Furthermore, the use of technology and the working environment creates social production of illness. Women as the majority of the worker in EPZs zone which positioned in the low level work are vulnerable in terms of occupational work. To cope with this problem, the policy to protect worker is needed and also the effort to enhance working condition.
“As we look to the future, we must always remember that human beings are not servant of economies. Rather, economic development and production must serve women and men. Occupational safety and health is a crucial means towards that end.” (Kofi A. Annan)
References
Books
Bury, Michael (2005). Health and Illness. Cambridge, Polity Press.
Doyal, Lesley and Imogen Pennel (1979). The Political Economy of Health. London, Pluto Classic.
Lorber, Judith and Lisa Jean Moore. Gender and the Social Construction of Illness. Oxford, AltaMira Press.
Lu, Jinky Leilanie (2005). Gender, Information Technology and Health. Quezon City, The University of Philippines Press.
Scambler, Graham (2008). Sociology as Applied to Medicine. Saunders Elsevier.
White, Kevin (2009). Sociology of Health and Illness. London, Sage.
Journal
Attanapola, Chamila T (2004). ‘Changing Gender Roles and Health Impact among Female Worker in Export Processing Industries in Sri Langka’. Social Science & Medicine, 58, 2301-2312.
_______ (2005). ‘Experiences of Globalization and Health in the Narratives of Women Industrial Workers in Sri Lanka’. Gender, Technology and Development, 9 (1), 81-102.
Doyal, Lesley (2002). ‘Putting Gender into Health and Globalization Debates: New Perspectives and Old Challenges’. Third World Quarterly, Vol 23, No. 2, 233-250.
Lu, Jinky Leilanie (2007). ‘Gender, Information Technology and Health: the Case of Women Workers in Export Zones in the Philippines’. Journal of International Women’s Studies, Vol 8#4, 93-106.
Thorborg, Marina (1991). ‘Environmental and Occupational Hazard in Export Processing Zones in East and South Asia: with Special Reference to Taiwan, China and Srilangka’. Toxicology and Industrial Health, Vol 7, No 5/6, 549-561.
Electronic Information - Internet
Edralin, Divina M (2001). Assessing the Situation of Women Working in CALABARZON. Retrieved from the PASCN Secretariat, November 12, 2010, from http://pascn.pids.gov.ph/DiscList/d01/s01-14.pdf.
Sarkar, Sumita (2007). Globalization and Women at Work: A Feminist Discourse. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from http://www.feministagenda.org.au/IFS%20Papers/Sumita2.pdf.
World Health Organization (2009). Gender, Health and Work: Today’s Evidence Tomorrow’s Agenda. Retrieved November 11, 2010, from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241563857_eng.pdf.
The article is based on a research which conducted in two export zones in Philippine, to examine the linkage between work, gender, health and technology in the export zone as the consequence of the globalized economy. The study showed that the growing of export oriented industries which are followed by the use of new information technology as the intensification strategy in order to maximize the productivity, not only changed the work place, but also shaped gender division of labor and create new hazard and illness. Women as the majority of the worker threaten by new hazard and illness. Illness is no longer understood from the medical lens, but also through social lens, in where the social and material conditions also lead illness or social production of illness.
The globalization process not only alerted by the moving of people and information technology, but also capital. As a response to globalization, many countries develop their economic zones in order to boost their economic growth and strengthened the national economy. Along with the emerging of economic zone, in order to intensify the production, information technology is being used.
The emerging of economic zone also leads the feminization of labor phenomenon, in where there is high demand of women worker, especially in the garment and electronic company. The feminization of worker can not be separated from stereotype and also capitalist economy. Women are preferred rather than men because of the perception on women worker as low skilled and cheap labor and also their characteristic such as patient, docile, attuned to do boring, monotonous and repetitious task also women’s nimble fingers. This kind of perception leads the assumption that women are fit to the global definition of productivity (Lu,2007). Not surprisingly, beside identical with information technology and global capital, economic zone also identical with women workers.
As well as another developing country, economic zone became one of the economic strategies of the Philippine government. One form of the economic zone is Economic Processing Zones (EPZs). The formed of EPZs opened job opportunity to the Filipinos, and it employs more than half a million Filipinos with the majorities of the worker are women. The high number of women worker in EPZs, also can be found in Bangladesh, thousand of women working in the factories producing garment for export (Car, 1998). The emerging of EPZs seems giving opportunity to the women, but in her study, Edralin (2001) found that the company hired women, because they need people who are capable of repetitive and meticulous work and want to bring wages even lower. It means that the high demand of women worker is because of the perception and stereotype of women.
As well as the economic zone, the existence of EPZs can not be separated by the used of information technology in terms of maximizing productivity and profit. As the consequence, information technology has changed the working environment, such as fast pace of work, possibility to do multitask job etc. Beside these positive sides of new technology, it also brings negative side. The used of new technology caused some kind of health problem, and women as the majority of worker are being threatened because of it. It worsened by the race to the bottom, which keeps low wages and less social benefit, so the women as the majority of labor in the disadvantage position.
Through her research in Laguna and Cavite zones (two of the big EPZ in Philippine), Jinky Leilanie Lu showed how globalized economy through the garment and electronic industries in Philippine economic zone and also the use of information technology has affected women workers’ health. Beside wrote well organized article, she also give significant evidence through her research finding related with health condition of the women worker in two EPZs in Philippine. It was very important, to give explanation on women worker health condition and how the used of new technology and also globalized economy affected women’s worker health. Moreover, there are very few studies on women workers’ health (Attanapola, 2005), and it means that this article would enrich the information on women workers’ health with local specific.
Based on the research findings, the most of accidents which are reported by women workers are eye infection due to dust and wound due to sharp objects, while the most reported illness are headache, body ache also cough and cold. The research also found that the use of information technology create the new hazard and illness. The bad working place is exacerbated by the bad impact of information technology use which is change the condition of work.
The women worker also face bad working environment such as the implementation of apprenticeship system in the garment industry, over time work, less social benefit, bad condition of the workplace and too much work demand. The use of technology has created new forms of hazards and new types of organizational management. It also leads to intensify work, contributed on producing physical and psychological ill health (Lu, 2007). The article showed how bad working environment triggered stress and manifested on illness. There are also new health issue, such as chronic sleep debt, ‘mystery disease (could not be differentiated), and persistent fatigue. It means that the use of new technology not only caused physical illness but also producing mental illness, meaning health and illness can not defined by purely physical term but also consider on psychological effect on health and well being (Doyal & Pennell, 1979).
These research findings support the idea of social production of illness in the relation of work, technology and health. It means that illness is no more the product of biological/ physical agent and process but also because of social and psychosocial forces that influence the pattern and expression of illness (Burry: 2005). The relation between social-psychosocial factors (pressure of work, overload time and work, less social benefit, etc) and illness; is also explained by Scambler with effort-reward imbalance model. He argued that jobs which combine a high degree of effort but low level of gain in the form of financial or emotional rewards, employment security or career advancement lead to emotional distress, job strain and illness (Scambler, 2008).
In the end of the article, Lu argued the importance of accountable agencies in order to regulate the processes and procedures related with occupational health, the need of informal and formal capital for the women workers, also social responsibility and response from company and state. Furthermore the author suggest that the findings on the research can help on formulating policy in order to strengthen formal capital in terms of laws and regulation to protect workers (especially women).
Based that research, it is implicitly seen that the women worker face double situation. First in terms of globalization, in where women as the cheap labor and hired because of the perception of women worker, and the second one in term of the used of information technology. The use of information technology to maximize productivity and profit, not only affected the division of labour but also occupational health. These kinds of condition related each other and positioned women in the vulnerable position.
On my opinion, information technology is neutral. In term of health, the use of information technology can gives bad effect to everybody, whether women or men. But, in the reality because of the gender inequality, information technology gives impact to women and men differently. For example the gender division of labour as the result of gender inequality, that divide feminine and masculine job and it was strengthened by the stereotype and perception of women as I already mentioned earlier. This situation has placed women and men in the different position and situation, and further the different position and situation give different consequence. Because of the perception and gender division of labour, mostly women positioned in the repetitive, monotonous and low skilled job and these kind of job affected women worker’s health. Furthermore the situation is exacerbated by the women sub-ordinate position in where women have less power and the institutionalized of women roles.
The article only focuses on women, although it also a little bit compared the situation between female and male supervisor. In my opinion it would be better if the author also explain the different kind of female and male worker’s job and also the occupational illness that face by female and male workers. It would give better understanding in terms of how information technology affected women and men’s health differently.
The used of information technology, the working environment and the situation in the EPZs can not be separated with neo liberal system in the light of capitalism. As mentioned by Eliang that the effect of occupational health hazard in the third world are likely to be serious rather than the advanced capitalist countries (Doyal & Pennell, 1979). The third world as a source of cheap labour and resources should compete each other. As the impact the company giving less social benefit to the workers and seems did not care with the occupational health, because they only focus on how to maximize the productivity. Lu (2007) also mentioned that health is associated with the politics of representation of women in the new international division of labour. Meaning that health also determined by content and context of development. In the Philippine case, in order to maintain the low wages of labor and maximize productivity, the company hired women worker, and they face health risk because of the working condition.
In order to understand the effect of technology to the occupational hazard, we should consider the social differentiation in the society. And it is not about women and men, but also among women, among men, between developing and developed country. Technology gave impact to each group differently; as White (2009) argued that the experience of sickness and disease is an outcome of the organizational of the society. It means that social differentiation leads different risk of illness, even difference access to health and health care (Doyal, 2002).
To conclude, the used of information technology and in terms of globalized economy give positive and negative side. The positive side is giving opportunity to the women to gain economic independence and also help to maximize productivity and doing multiple tasks. But, in other hand it also has negative impact in terms of occupational health, which gave different impact to women and men worker due to the division of labour. Furthermore, the use of technology and the working environment creates social production of illness. Women as the majority of the worker in EPZs zone which positioned in the low level work are vulnerable in terms of occupational work. To cope with this problem, the policy to protect worker is needed and also the effort to enhance working condition.
“As we look to the future, we must always remember that human beings are not servant of economies. Rather, economic development and production must serve women and men. Occupational safety and health is a crucial means towards that end.” (Kofi A. Annan)
References
Books
Bury, Michael (2005). Health and Illness. Cambridge, Polity Press.
Doyal, Lesley and Imogen Pennel (1979). The Political Economy of Health. London, Pluto Classic.
Lorber, Judith and Lisa Jean Moore. Gender and the Social Construction of Illness. Oxford, AltaMira Press.
Lu, Jinky Leilanie (2005). Gender, Information Technology and Health. Quezon City, The University of Philippines Press.
Scambler, Graham (2008). Sociology as Applied to Medicine. Saunders Elsevier.
White, Kevin (2009). Sociology of Health and Illness. London, Sage.
Journal
Attanapola, Chamila T (2004). ‘Changing Gender Roles and Health Impact among Female Worker in Export Processing Industries in Sri Langka’. Social Science & Medicine, 58, 2301-2312.
_______ (2005). ‘Experiences of Globalization and Health in the Narratives of Women Industrial Workers in Sri Lanka’. Gender, Technology and Development, 9 (1), 81-102.
Doyal, Lesley (2002). ‘Putting Gender into Health and Globalization Debates: New Perspectives and Old Challenges’. Third World Quarterly, Vol 23, No. 2, 233-250.
Lu, Jinky Leilanie (2007). ‘Gender, Information Technology and Health: the Case of Women Workers in Export Zones in the Philippines’. Journal of International Women’s Studies, Vol 8#4, 93-106.
Thorborg, Marina (1991). ‘Environmental and Occupational Hazard in Export Processing Zones in East and South Asia: with Special Reference to Taiwan, China and Srilangka’. Toxicology and Industrial Health, Vol 7, No 5/6, 549-561.
Electronic Information - Internet
Edralin, Divina M (2001). Assessing the Situation of Women Working in CALABARZON. Retrieved from the PASCN Secretariat, November 12, 2010, from http://pascn.pids.gov.ph/DiscList/d01/s01-14.pdf.
Sarkar, Sumita (2007). Globalization and Women at Work: A Feminist Discourse. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from http://www.feministagenda.org.au/IFS%20Papers/Sumita2.pdf.
World Health Organization (2009). Gender, Health and Work: Today’s Evidence Tomorrow’s Agenda. Retrieved November 11, 2010, from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241563857_eng.pdf.
-
|
0 Response to "Article Review: Gender, Information Technology and Health: the Case of Women Workers in Export Zones in the Philippines"
Posting Komentar