9.4 Globalization, development, and feminist political economy

Globalization and neoliberal policies have profoundly impacted women worldwide, often exacerbating existing inequalities. Feminist scholars critique these trends, highlighting how gender intersects with race, class, and nationality to shape diverse experiences in the global economy.

Feminist approaches to development challenge mainstream theories, advocating for a paradigm shift in measuring economic success. These perspectives emphasize the value of unpaid care work, propose alternative economic models, and stress the importance of intersectionality in addressing global gender inequalities.

Gendered Impacts of Globalization

Defining Globalization and Neoliberal Policies

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• Globalization increases interconnectedness of economies, cultures, and populations worldwide through advancements in technology, communication, and transportation
• Neoliberal economic policies emphasize free-market capitalism, deregulation, privatization, and reduced government intervention
• Structural adjustment programs (SAPs) implemented by international financial institutions lead to reduced social spending and increased burden on women's unpaid labor

Asymmetrical Effects on Women

• Gendered impacts of globalization and neoliberal policies disproportionately affect women in employment, social services, and unpaid care work
• Feminization of labor in global supply chains increases employment opportunities for women, often in precarious, low-wage, and exploitative conditions (garment industry in Bangladesh)
• Intersection of gender with race, class, and nationality shapes diverse experiences of women in globalization context
  • Example: Migrant domestic workers from Southeast Asia in Gulf countries face unique challenges

Transnational Feminist Movements

• Globalization facilitates growth of transnational feminist networks and movements
• Cross-border collaboration and advocacy for gender equality become more accessible
  • Example: Global campaigns against gender-based violence (16 Days of Activism)

Feminist Critiques of Development

Challenging Mainstream Development Theories

• Feminist scholars argue mainstream development theories have been historically gender-blind
• Women in Development (WID) approach emerged in 1970s, advocating for integration of women into existing development processes
  • Critiqued for not challenging underlying power structures
• Gender and Development (GAD) approach shifts focus to socially constructed gender roles and power imbalances
• Post-colonial feminist perspectives emphasize diverse cultural contexts and challenge Western-centric notions of development
  • Example: Critiques of universal application of Western feminist ideals in development projects

Critiquing Development Practices

• Feminist critiques highlight tendency to instrumentalize women's labor and reproductive capacities for economic growth
• Overemphasis on economic indicators in measuring development overlooks social and environmental factors
  • Example: Critique of GDP as sole measure of development, ignoring unpaid care work
• Concept of intersectionality crucial in feminist critiques, highlighting how different forms of oppression intersect
  • Example: Rural indigenous women facing multiple layers of discrimination in development projects

Women's Labor in the Global Economy

Undervalued and Invisible Labor

• Women's labor, both paid and unpaid, sustains global economy yet remains undervalued and invisible in economic analyses
• Global care chain concept illustrates transfer of women's care work across national borders
  • Example: Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong supporting families back home
• Informal sector, where women are disproportionately represented, lacks labor protections and social security
  • Example: Street vendors in urban areas of developing countries

Gender Inequalities in Labor Market

• Feminist economists argue traditional economic models fail to account for value of unpaid domestic and care work
• Gender wage gap persists globally, reflecting systemic discrimination and undervaluation of women's work
• Women's increased participation in formal labor market leads to "double burden" or "second shift" phenomenon
• COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates existing gender inequalities in labor market
  • Example: Disproportionate job losses in female-dominated sectors (hospitality, retail)

Feminist Alternatives to Development

Reconceptualizing Economic Success

• Feminist economics proposes paradigm shift in conceptualizing and measuring economic success
• Capabilities approach, developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, focuses on enhancing individuals' freedoms and opportunities
• Ecofeminist perspectives advocate for development models recognizing interconnectedness of gender equality and environmental sustainability
  • Example: Women-led community forestry projects in Nepal

Alternative Economic Models

• Feminist scholars propose alternative indicators of development incorporating measures of unpaid work and gender equality
  • Example: Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) used by UNDP
• Solidarity economy emphasizes cooperative, democratic, and environmentally sustainable forms of economic organization
  • Example: Women's cooperatives in fair trade production
• Feminist approaches to microfinance and women's entrepreneurship focus on collective empowerment and addressing structural barriers
• Transformative social protection policies proposed to address gender inequalities
  • Example: Universal basic income experiments in Finland and Kenya