BALANCING WORK AND
CHILDCARE:
EVIDENCE OF TWO TEXTILE
MANUFACTURING TOWNS OF
TEHUACÁN, MÉXICO.
Arlette Covarrubias
Tehuacán, Mexico
The NAFTA treaty in 1994 stimulated the boom of
textile assembly plants “maquiladoras” in the region
which put together mainly jeans increasing the demand
for female labour force in the region.
Objective
Determine the interdependence of possible
welfare states married women and their
children can obtain by wives´ participation in
different activities available to them; these are
the recently created textile assembly plant
jobs and the traditional self-employment
activities women carry out in the area.
Capabilities Approach


It sees human life as a set of ‘beings and doings’,
functionings, which reflect the state of a person. Ej.
being well nourished, being healthy, being housed,
being able to read and write, being confident,
escaping morbidity, achieving self respect, etc.
Capability, refers to the combination of functionings
a person has the potential to achieve. It reflects a
person’s freedom to choose between different ways
of living
Interdependent Capabilities


When we look at family, each persons Capability
should be assessed (Nussbaum 2000)
The actions or decisions of one individual might
limit the options available to others. One would
expect such interdependencies to be particularly
stark within the household. My individual
conversion factors are incomplete without a
recognition of this interdependence. (Iversen
2003)
Research Site
Santiago Miahuatlan
 Population: 11,329


San Gabriel Chilac
 Population 11,121.
28.37% married women
employed

80.33% of employed
work in Maquila

14.75% married women
employed
62.50% of employed
work in Maquila
Fieldwork Techniques

Number of in-depth interviews by Town
Wives
Husbands
Total
Miah
Chil
Miah
Chil
Miah
Chil
Total
Currently working in maquila
26
23
19
16
35
39
74
-Previously worked in maquila
14
13
11
8
25
21
46
-Has never worked
10
10
6
7
16
17
33
-Works in another activity
2
2
2
1
4
3
7
26
25
10
9
80
80
160
Total
work
wives
without
salaried
Care for Children


‘Its one’s turn to look after the kids at home, but then one does not
worry (about them). But, if it were for me I go to work. To be honest,
I like to work.’
‘As I have my children, I could not dedicate myself for example, to
the maquila, because I couldn’t take care of them, even though I
have my mum. But it is very different one as a mother than a
grandmother, besides my mother is old. Then, one thinks of
something where I can not neglect my children, that is why I dedicate
myself to my animals, embroidering, a little of everything. This way I
can look after my children.’
Multitasking

‘I cannot (work for the maquila) because of my
children, I cannot leave them alone and here
washing, I am also watching them. And if I worked
outside, then I would leave my children. Therefore I
better dedicate myself to wash and not go out. My
children as they are small, I have to take care of
them as well.’
Risks for Children

“One neglects their children, it is not the same, you
know in these days, the kids stay, the parents are
not there anymore, and then they go with their
friends, God knows what they are doing in the
streets, that is why I don´t risk going (to work to the
maquila)
School Meetings

“He (her husband) told me no, that now we have our
two daughters and now they need us for anything
including school meetings, I am of some things,
letters that teachers bring us, and we have to go,
because there are lots of mums whose children feel
bad because their parents do not go, to be honest I
am always going to school meetings.”
Children´s Education

‘We have our children in the school and they
pay husbands very little. It is to help each
other in the maquila or in any activity.’ We do
it ‘to provide our children with education,
because we didn’t study we need to give them
the best.’
Children´s Health

‘Last time (she worked in the maquila) it was
because my son had become ill, because it was
necessary to cover the expenses and we had
no money. Both of us worked, her in the
maquila and me in the fields, because really I
couldn’t manage by myself.’
Women
Category
Physical health
Mental well
being
Functionings
Negative
Being free of
sickness
-Detriment in
women’s health
Being free of
tiredness
-Long working
hours
-Double burden
work
Being free of
pressure
-Pressure from
managers
Being free of
stress
-Quotas to be
completed
Education and
knowledge
Being able to
have a
Personal
development
Quality time
with family
Being able to
have quality
time children
and family
Children
Positive
Negative
-Access social
security.
-Additional income
-No isolation
-social
security
-additional
income
-Quality time
With mother
-Opportunity to
get
job promotion
-Long working
hours limit time to
spend with family
Positive
-Income for
education
-Quality time
With mother
Women
Category
Functionings
Negative
Social
Relations
Being able to see
and have friends
-Being accepted in
society (norms)
Allocation of
time
Being able to
engage in leisure
activities
-Double burden work
-Long working hours
Respect
Being respected at
the household
Being free of
domestic violence
Self worth
Children
Positive
-Space to make friends
-Decisions within
household
-Monetary independence
-Social norms plus long
working hours
-Monetary independence
-Monetary independence
-Engaging in activity of
choice
Positive
Negative
Conversion Factors



The degree in which a person can transform a
resource into a functioning.
Personal conversion factors are internal to the
person, such as metabolism, physical condition, sex,
reading skills, or intelligence.
Social conversion factors are factors from the society
in which one lives, such as public policies, social
norms, practices that unfairly discriminate, societal
hierarchies, or power relations related to class,
gender, race, or caste.
Wife´s social roles



The home is my obligation as a wife
Well because when one gets married you have the
obligation, once I got married, now I have to
arrange the house, prepare food, to have things
ready for when he (her husband) arrives home
One doesn’t take it as an obligation, or maybe..
yes.. as an obligation, it´s like the job of us women,
because one has work at home, to clean, to iron, to
prepare food, with food for example.. one has to
go to school meetings.´
Husband´s social roles


‘It is wrong… because that is what we are here for, to
work and provide with what is necessary.’
‘if she goes to work and the husband stays (at home),
then what would the husband do? The food? She will want
him to stay preparing the food and her working he he he
(laughs) One has to wake up early, leave the food done,
it is also lots of work, it is lots of work.. but if one wants to
prosper, a wife prepares the food, the husband comes,
arrives from work, he eats. But if she goes to work and
the husband stays being a ‘mandilon’ there, taking care of
the children… that is not ok, then he gets used to it, then
the woman works and he does not want to work any
more, isn’t that true?’
Hours of work



“well because we would then stay until late, we would then
stay to “keep a vigil”, then, because of my kids, to take care
of them , then I decided to work like this for a while, selling
tortillas”
“It gives me more time to see my daughters, take care of them,
I don’t neglect them a lot, like the maquila is all day long, and
here it is just until 2 p.m.”
‘Well they make you work more, because the working hours of
an employee are from 8 to 6 in the evening, and you stay until
you finish your part, until 9 or 10 at night. On Saturdays they
make you work all day when on Saturdays it is only four hours
and a half… and they do not pay you, for instance they pay
you the four hours and a half and they do not pay you for the
work of all the day.’
Conversion factors

Social Roles

Working Hours

Institutional restrictions
THANK YOU!