The gender dimensions of global value chains: Five key lessons

Picture this: A group of young women, dressed alike in trendy uniforms, step out from a high rise office building on their way home from work. These women are first generation college graduates who have landed their first jobs in the Philippines’ growing call centre industry. In a country where GDP per capita is under US$3,000, and many are struggling to seek out a living, or simply move abroad in search of work, the country’s emergence as a leading offshore services provider has offered a very welcomed opportunity. Similar stories have frequently been used to highlight how increased globalisation has brought about important change and opportunity for women in the developing world. Other well-covered examples are how the growth of ready-to-eat fresh fruit and vegetable exports in East Africa and apparel exports in Asia brought with them a boom in employment for young female workers – their first experience with remunerated work. Policymakers are increasingly turning to integration and upgrading in global value chains (GVCs) as a means of driving development, including generating employment and raising incomes. Yet, at the same time, reports of appalling working conditions in many export sectors, such as those that led to the Rana Plaza...

Written by Penny Bamber, Cornelia Staritz