Hanging by a thread: Industrial restructuring and social reproduction in a Colombian city

This study of one sector of the urban labor force describes women's role in social reproduction of the working class in the garment industry. Women's labor force incorporation is analyzed as one aspect of the broader struggle by households to ensure their social reproduction. Based on 110 interviews with home-based and factory workers, the research analyzes the impact of factors such as the domestic cycle of the household and the life cycle of the women on their participation in the labor force.;This study describes how women's domestic responsibilities and social relationships in the household limit her options in the labor market. It was found that women with additional household responsibilities (especially wives and mothers) are more likely to participate in home-based production. However, female heads of household are more frequently found in the factory where they can command higher salaries. Further, differences in household composition lead to different social relationships which are correlated with different authority patterns within the household.;At the workplace level this research has demonstrated how informal methods of contracting labor are increasing due largely to growing international competition which requires cheaper labor to produce less costly goods. Recent restructuring of production in the garment industry in Colombia is a significant mechanism incorporating home-based workers and small and medium sized factories into the process of production in the garment industry. This increasing informality of contracts affects not only subcontracted industrial outwork but also labor relationships within the factory (especially the factory with solely domestic capital) making them less stable. This increasing informalization of the labor market and utilization of subcontracting leads to increasing subordination of women's position in the labor market.;The research concludes that the restructuring of production at both the national and international level, while increasing employment options for women, reinforces their subordinate position in the labor force. The fact that women are now major economic providers for the household demonstrates the increasing vulnerability of these units. Since women traditionally have been relegated to the most precarious economic positions, it is no surprise that they continue to represent a vulnerable and exploited labor force. As women's economic contributions to the household rises at the same time as factory wages are falling, the possibilities for social reproduction of the working class become more difficult. The households are "hanging by a thread," a slender thread frequently provided by the salary of the women workers.