| MONITORING THE
IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES ON WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT IN THE ASIAN
REGION |
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Monitoring the Impact of Technological
Changes on
Women's Employment in the Asian Region
Women form a very large proportion
of the industrial workforce in the Asia/Pacific region. They are the majority
of the workers in sectors such as electronics, clothing or textiles, Their
role in the industrial sector is changing rapidly due to new technologies,
particularly the computer-based technologies that have led to new forms of
industrial organizations such as the Just-in-Time model, subcontracting and
homework.
Objective
The project's aimed to ensure
that the voices of women who bear the consequences of the new technological
and industrial policies, were heard. In support of this, the project provided
information on the impact of new technologies on women's employment to both
women workers' organisations and the policy-making bodies.
The project also aimed to:
- counteract the negative effects
of the introduction of new technologies on women, such as job losses and
health hazards; and
- utilise the new technologies
for the benefit of women workers by improving working conditions, creating
employment, and exchanging information
Collaboration and Funding
UNIFEM and the Netherlands Ministry
of Development Cooperative co-funded the project from January 1994 to April
1996. It was implemented by the United Nations University for New Technologies
in Maastricht, Netherlands, and involved Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia,
Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The participants were selected to
reflect the wide variety in the region in terms of size, state of industrialisation
and market orientation. Project team members consulted and collaborated with
women worker's organisations, trade unions, research bodies and relevant government
agencies.
Research and Workshops
An initial workshop was held with
the NGOs working with women workers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in September
1994. Participants discussed the NGO experience of the situation and needs
of women workers in relation to the impact of the new technologies and the
resultant new patterns of work organisation, such as sub-contracting combined
with home-based work.
Following the workshop, the NGOs
undertook individual research projects in each of the participating countries
to further explore the impact of new technologies and work arrangements on
women workers. This research highlighted some positive effects, especially
the creation of new employment opportunities, and some negative effects, including
unemployment for some women and subcontracting arrangements that tend to marginalise
women workers, isolating them from the more productive technologies and reducing
their earnings.
A second workshop was held in
New Delhi, India, in March 1995. Participants discussed the issues of women
workers from the government and policy viewpoint. They identified the importance
of the general level of economic development and of labour market conditions
in determining the policy options available to government. Policies that made
good sense for countries with tight labour markets were clearly not feasible
in countries with large labour surpluses and much lower levels of development.
The final workshop was held in
Bangkok, Thailand, in March 1996. The first activity was training in negotiations
skills, NGOs and governments participants then engaged in an extensive and
illuminating dialogue. The NGOs became more way of the policy considerations
which guide the government agencies, and the government participants became
more aware of the human face of the problems facing women workers.
Workshop proceedings are
documented in:
Cecilia Ng Choon Sim and Anne
Munro Kua, editors, 1995: "New Technologies and the Future of Women's Work
in Asia. Workshop report, 13-16 September, 1994. Malysia"; The United Nations
University, Institute for New Technologies (UNU/INTECH); The Netherlands.
Swasti Mitter, editor, 1996: "Industrial
Policies for the 21st Century: New Technology and Women's Work.
Workshop report, 29-31 March, 1995. New Delhi"; The United Nations University,
Institute for New Technologies (UNU/INTECH); The Netherlands.
Swasti Mitter and Cecilia Ng Choon
Sim, editors, 1996: "Bridging the Gap between the State and Non-Governmental
Organisations. Formulating Industrial Policies and Women's Work for the Future.
Workshop report, 26-28 March, 1996. Bangkok"; The United Nations University,
Institute for New Technologies (UNU/INTECH); The Netherlands.
Requests for publications
should be sent to:
UNU/INTECH
Kapoenstraat 23
6211 KV Maastricht
The Netherlands
- FAX (043) 350 6399
Dated: 8May1999
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