Working conditions in Ghana&apos;s export processing zone and women&apos;s empowerment

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Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Volume 9, Issue 2

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Working conditions in Ghana's export processing zone and women's empowerment

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Author(s): Faustina Adomaa Obeng , Charlotte Wrigley-Asante , Joseph Kofi Teye

Publication date (Print): Winter 2015

Journal: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

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Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): workorgalaboglob

Title: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 1745641X

ISSN (Electronic): 17456428

Publication date (Print): Winter 2015

Volume: 9

Issue: 2

Pages: 64-78

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Publisher ID: workorgalaboglob.9.2.0064

DOI: 10.13169/workorgalaboglob.9.2.0064

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Labor law,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics

References

Ackah, C., E. Aryeetey & K. Opoku (2012) ‘Wage and employment effects of trade liberalization: The case of Ghanaian manufacturing’ in C. Ackah & E. Aryeetey (eds) Globalisation, Trade and Poverty in Ghana , Ottawa: International Development Research Centre:50–75.
African Centre for Economic Transformation (2012) ‘Africa's export processing zones: It is time to lift the game’, June 2012 Issue of West Africa Trends, A news letter for the Rockefeller Foundation. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://acetforafrica.org/whats-new/post/africas-export-processing-zones-its-time-to-lift-the-game/.
Alsop, R. & N. Heinsohn (2005) ‘Measuring empowerment in practice: Structuring analysis and framing indicators’, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, February, Washington, DC: World Bank.
Amengual, M. & W. Milberg (2008) ‘Economic development and working conditions in export processing zones: A survey of trends’, International Labour Office Working Paper No. 3, Geneva: International Labour Organisation.
Best, S. (2005) Factory Improvement Programme in Sri Lanka: Impact Report One Year after Completion , ILO Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex.
Cirera, X. & R. Lakshman (2014) ‘The impact of export processing zones on employment, wages and labour conditions in developing countries’, 3ie Systematic Review 10 , London: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie).
Chant, S. & C. McIlwaine (2009) Geographies of Development in the 21st Century: An Introduction to the Global South , Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Creswell, J.W. (2009) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches , 3rd ed., Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Esplen, E. & A. Brody (2007) Putting Gender Back in the Picture: Rethinking Women's Economic Empowerment , Sussex: BRIDGE, Institute of Development Studies. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/bridge-publications/bibliographies/A54322.
Ghana Free Zones Board (2013) Investors' Guide , Accra: Ghana Free Zones Board.
Gopolakrisnan, R. (2007) ‘Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining in export processing zones’, Working Paper, International Labour Office, International Labour Standards Department, Geneva: International Labour Organisation.
Gunadasa, S. (2009) ‘Sri Lankan export zone workers hit by job and pay cuts’. Accessed October, 12, 2012 from http://globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/137-sovereign/4.
Hancock, P. (2006a) ‘Women, work and empowerment: A portrait of women workers in Sri Lanka's export processing zones’, Norsk Geografisk Tidsskriff – Norwegian Journal of Geography , 60:227–37.
Hancock, P. (2006b) ‘Violence, women, work and empowerment: Narratives from factory women in Sri Lanka's export processing zones’, Gender, Technology and Development , 10 (2):211–28.
Hancock, P. & I. Edirisinghe (2012) ‘Inclusion and empowerment of export processing zone women in Sri Lanka: Stakeholders perceptions and perspectives’, Labour and Management in Development Journal , 13. Accessed October, 16, 2015 from http://www.nla.gov.au/ojs/index.php/lmd/article/view/2387.
Hancock, P., S. Middleton, J. Moore & I. Edirisinghe (2011) ‘Gender, status and empowerment: A study among women who work in Sri Lanka's export processing zones (EPZs)’, Report by the Social and Justice Research Centre, Edith Cowan University, Australia.
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (1996) ‘Behind the wire’. Accessed November, 21, 2013 from http://www.wezpa.org/bh01102.htm.
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (2004) Behind the Brand Names , ICFTU Publication.
International Labour Organisation (2001) Tripartite Declaration of Principles Concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, Third Edition , Geneva: International Labour Organisation.
International Labour Organisation (2012) Decent Work Indicators: Concepts and Definitions. ILO Manual, First Edition , Geneva: International Labour Organisation.
International Labour Organisation (2008) ‘Report on the in-focus initiative on export processing zones (EPZs): Latest trends and policy development in EPZs Governing’, Body Report, March, Geneva: International Labour Organisation.
Jauch, H. (1997) ‘Regional mirage: Southern Africa and the EPZ’, Southern Africa Report , 12 (4). Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.africafiles.org/article.asp?ID=3829.
Jauch, H. (2002) ‘Export processing zones and the quest for sustainable development: A Southern African perspective’, Environment & Urbanisation , 14 (1):101–13.
Kabeer, N. (1999) ‘Resources, agency and achievements: Reflections on the measurement of women's empowerment’, Development and Change , 30:435–64.
Kabeer, N. (2001) ‘Resources, agency, achievements: Reflections on the measurement of women's empowerment’ in Discussing Women's Empowerment-Theory and Practice , Sida Studies No. 3, Stockholm: Novum Grafiska AB.
Khan, A.B. (2012) ‘Women's employment in export processing zones in India: A theoretical framework’, ZENITH International Journal of Multi Disciplinary Research , 2 (3):133–41ISSN 2231 5780.
Labour Resources and Research Institute (2000) Export Processing Zones in Namibia: Taking a Closer Look , A LaRRI Publication.
Lim, L. (1985) Women Workers in Multinational Enterprises in Developing Countries , Geneva: International Labour Organisation.
Luttrel, C., S. Quiroz, C. Scrutton & X. Bird (2009) ‘Understanding and Operationalising Empowerment’, ODI Working Paper 308, November, London: Overseas Development Institute. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/4525.pdf.
Madani, D. (1999) ‘Review of the role and impact of export processing zones’, Policy Research Working Paper Series No. 2238, Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Malhotra, A., S.R. Schuler & C. Boender (2002) ‘Measuring empowerment as a variable for international development’, Background paper prepared for the World Bank workshop on Poverty and Gender: New Perspectives , Washington, DC: World Bank.
Mamic, I. (2003) Business and Code of Conduct Implementation , Geneva: International Labour Organisation Publication.
Mohanty, C.T. (1991) ‘Under Western eyes: Feminist scholarship and colonial discourses’ in C.T. Mohanty, A. Russo & L. Torres (eds) Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism , Bloomington: Indiana University Press:51–80.
Oakley, P. (ed.) (2001) Evaluating Empowerment: Reviewing the Concept and Practice. INTRAC NGO Management and Policy Series , No. 13, Oxford: INTRAC.
Oduro, A.D., W. Baah-Boateng & L. Boakye-Yiadom (2011) Measuring the Gender Asset Gap in Ghana , Accra: Woeli Publishing Services.
Oppong, C. (2005) Conjugal Resources, Power, Decision Making and Domestic Labour: Some Historical and Recent Evidence of Modernity from Ghanaian Families. Institute of African Studies, Occasional Research Paper Series , Legon: University of Ghana.
Peedoly, A.S. (2011) ‘Is EPZ employment a stepping stone or a stumbling block for women's empowerment: Evidence from Mauritius’ (Unpublished master's thesis, University of South Africa.
Pepper, A. (2012) ‘Sexual division of labour in export-oriented manufacturing sectors: The reconstruction of gender and urbanisation of production in global South’, The Journal of Sustainable Development , 8 (1):142–52.
Rosa, K. (1994) ‘The conditions and activities and women in free trade zones Malaysia, Philippines and Sri Lanka, 1970–1990’ in S. Rowbotham & S. Mitter (eds) Dignity and Daily Bread: New Forms of Economic Organising Among Poor Women in the Third World and the First World , London and New York: Routledge:77–93.
Scheve, K. & M. Slaughter (2004) ‘Economic insecurity and the globalisation of production’, American Journal of Political Science , 48 (4):662–74.
Sen, A. (1997) ‘Inequality, unemployment and contemporary Europe’, International Labour Review , 136 (2):3–22.
Sen, A. (1999) Development as Freedom , Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sen, G. & S. Batliwala (2000) ‘Empowering women for reproductive rights’ in H.B. Presser & G. Sen (eds) Women's Empowerment and Demographic Processes: Moving Beyond Cairo , Oxford: Oxford University Press:15–36.
Singa Boyenga, J. (2007) ‘ILO Data Base on export processing zones (revised)’ in Working Paper Series, Sectoral Activities Programme , Geneva: International Labour Organisation.
Standing, G. (1989) ‘Global feminisation through flexible labour’, World Development , 17 (9):1077–1095.
Standing, G. (1999) ‘Global feminisation through flexible labour: A theme revisited’, World Development , 23 (3):583–602.
Tandrayen-Ragoobur, V. & A. Ayrga (2011) ‘Phasing out of the MFA: Impact on women workers in the Mauritian EPZ sector’, International Conference on International Trade and Investment (ICITI) , Le Reduit, Moka. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.academia.edu/1855440/Phasing_Out_of_the_MFA_Impact_on_Women_Workers_in_the_Mauritian_EPZ_Sector.
Teye, J.K. (2012) ‘Benefits, challenges and dynamism of positionalities associated with mixed methods research in developing world: Evidence from Ghana’, Journal of Mixed Methods , 6 (4):379–91. doi:10.1177/1558689812453332.
Vercillo, S. (2010) ‘EPZ and the lack of decent work: The feminisation of poverty within Mauritius’. Accessed April, 14, 2012 from www.sieravercillo.wordpress.com.
Wrigley-Asante, C. (2007) ‘Empowering women through poverty reduction programmes: The case of Dangme West District of Ghana’ (Unpublished PhD thesis), Legon: University of Ghana.
Wrigley-Asante, C. (2011) ‘Women becoming bosses: Changing gender roles and decision making in Dangme West District of Ghana’, Ghana Journal of Geography , 3:60–87.
Young, K. (2002) ‘Planning from a gender perspective’ in N. Visvanathan, L. Duggan, N. Wiegersma & L. Nisonoff (eds) The Women, Gender and Development , Reader Zed Books:366–74.

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Ackah, C., E. Aryeetey & K. Opoku (2012) ‘Wage and employment effects of trade liberalization: The case of Ghanaian manufacturing’ in C. Ackah & E. Aryeetey (eds) Globalisation, Trade and Poverty in Ghana , Ottawa: International Development Research Centre:50–75.

[2] African Centre for Economic Transformation (2012) ‘Africa's export processing zones: It is time to lift the game’, June 2012 Issue of West Africa Trends, A news letter for the Rockefeller Foundation. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://acetforafrica.org/whats-new/post/africas-export-processing-zones-its-time-to-lift-the-game/.

[3] Alsop, R. & N. Heinsohn (2005) ‘Measuring empowerment in practice: Structuring analysis and framing indicators’, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, February, Washington, DC: World Bank.

[4] Amengual, M. & W. Milberg (2008) ‘Economic development and working conditions in export processing zones: A survey of trends’, International Labour Office Working Paper No. 3, Geneva: International Labour Organisation.

[5] Best, S. (2005) Factory Improvement Programme in Sri Lanka: Impact Report One Year after Completion , ILO Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex.

[6] Cirera, X. & R. Lakshman (2014) ‘The impact of export processing zones on employment, wages and labour conditions in developing countries’, 3ie Systematic Review 10 , London: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie).

[7] Chant, S. & C. McIlwaine (2009) Geographies of Development in the 21st Century: An Introduction to the Global South , Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

[8] Creswell, J.W. (2009) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches , 3rd ed., Thousand Oaks: Sage.

[9] Esplen, E. & A. Brody (2007) Putting Gender Back in the Picture: Rethinking Women's Economic Empowerment , Sussex: BRIDGE, Institute of Development Studies. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/bridge-publications/bibliographies/A54322.

[10] Ghana Free Zones Board (2013) Investors' Guide , Accra: Ghana Free Zones Board.

[11] Gopolakrisnan, R. (2007) ‘Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining in export processing zones’, Working Paper, International Labour Office, International Labour Standards Department, Geneva: International Labour Organisation.

[12] Gunadasa, S. (2009) ‘Sri Lankan export zone workers hit by job and pay cuts’. Accessed October, 12, 2012 from http://globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/137-sovereign/4.

[13] Hancock, P. (2006a) ‘Women, work and empowerment: A portrait of women workers in Sri Lanka's export processing zones’, Norsk Geografisk Tidsskriff – Norwegian Journal of Geography , 60:227–37.

[14] Hancock, P. (2006b) ‘Violence, women, work and empowerment: Narratives from factory women in Sri Lanka's export processing zones’, Gender, Technology and Development , 10 (2):211–28.

[15] Hancock, P. & I. Edirisinghe (2012) ‘Inclusion and empowerment of export processing zone women in Sri Lanka: Stakeholders perceptions and perspectives’, Labour and Management in Development Journal , 13. Accessed October, 16, 2015 from http://www.nla.gov.au/ojs/index.php/lmd/article/view/2387.

[16] Hancock, P., S. Middleton, J. Moore & I. Edirisinghe (2011) ‘Gender, status and empowerment: A study among women who work in Sri Lanka's export processing zones (EPZs)’, Report by the Social and Justice Research Centre, Edith Cowan University, Australia.

[17] International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (1996) ‘Behind the wire’. Accessed November, 21, 2013 from http://www.wezpa.org/bh01102.htm.

[18] International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (2004) Behind the Brand Names , ICFTU Publication.

[19] International Labour Organisation (2001) Tripartite Declaration of Principles Concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, Third Edition , Geneva: International Labour Organisation.

[20] International Labour Organisation (2012) Decent Work Indicators: Concepts and Definitions. ILO Manual, First Edition , Geneva: International Labour Organisation.

[21] International Labour Organisation (2008) ‘Report on the in-focus initiative on export processing zones (EPZs): Latest trends and policy development in EPZs Governing’, Body Report, March, Geneva: International Labour Organisation.

[22] Jauch, H. (1997) ‘Regional mirage: Southern Africa and the EPZ’, Southern Africa Report , 12 (4). Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.africafiles.org/article.asp?ID=3829.

[23] Jauch, H. (2002) ‘Export processing zones and the quest for sustainable development: A Southern African perspective’, Environment & Urbanisation , 14 (1):101–13.

[24] Kabeer, N. (1999) ‘Resources, agency and achievements: Reflections on the measurement of women's empowerment’, Development and Change , 30:435–64.

[25] Kabeer, N. (2001) ‘Resources, agency, achievements: Reflections on the measurement of women's empowerment’ in Discussing Women's Empowerment-Theory and Practice , Sida Studies No. 3, Stockholm: Novum Grafiska AB.

[26] Khan, A.B. (2012) ‘Women's employment in export processing zones in India: A theoretical framework’, ZENITH International Journal of Multi Disciplinary Research , 2 (3):133–41ISSN 2231 5780.

[27] Labour Resources and Research Institute (2000) Export Processing Zones in Namibia: Taking a Closer Look , A LaRRI Publication.

[28] Lim, L. (1985) Women Workers in Multinational Enterprises in Developing Countries , Geneva: International Labour Organisation.

[29] Luttrel, C., S. Quiroz, C. Scrutton & X. Bird (2009) ‘Understanding and Operationalising Empowerment’, ODI Working Paper 308, November, London: Overseas Development Institute. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/4525.pdf.

[30] Madani, D. (1999) ‘Review of the role and impact of export processing zones’, Policy Research Working Paper Series No. 2238, Washington, DC: The World Bank.

[31] Malhotra, A., S.R. Schuler & C. Boender (2002) ‘Measuring empowerment as a variable for international development’, Background paper prepared for the World Bank workshop on Poverty and Gender: New Perspectives , Washington, DC: World Bank.

[32] Mamic, I. (2003) Business and Code of Conduct Implementation , Geneva: International Labour Organisation Publication.

[33] Mohanty, C.T. (1991) ‘Under Western eyes: Feminist scholarship and colonial discourses’ in C.T. Mohanty, A. Russo & L. Torres (eds) Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism , Bloomington: Indiana University Press:51–80.

[34] Oakley, P. (ed.) (2001) Evaluating Empowerment: Reviewing the Concept and Practice. INTRAC NGO Management and Policy Series , No. 13, Oxford: INTRAC.

[35] Oduro, A.D., W. Baah-Boateng & L. Boakye-Yiadom (2011) Measuring the Gender Asset Gap in Ghana , Accra: Woeli Publishing Services.

[36] Oppong, C. (2005) Conjugal Resources, Power, Decision Making and Domestic Labour: Some Historical and Recent Evidence of Modernity from Ghanaian Families. Institute of African Studies, Occasional Research Paper Series , Legon: University of Ghana.

[37] Peedoly, A.S. (2011) ‘Is EPZ employment a stepping stone or a stumbling block for women's empowerment: Evidence from Mauritius’ (Unpublished master's thesis, University of South Africa.

[38] Pepper, A. (2012) ‘Sexual division of labour in export-oriented manufacturing sectors: The reconstruction of gender and urbanisation of production in global South’, The Journal of Sustainable Development , 8 (1):142–52.

[39] Rosa, K. (1994) ‘The conditions and activities and women in free trade zones Malaysia, Philippines and Sri Lanka, 1970–1990’ in S. Rowbotham & S. Mitter (eds) Dignity and Daily Bread: New Forms of Economic Organising Among Poor Women in the Third World and the First World , London and New York: Routledge:77–93.

[40] Scheve, K. & M. Slaughter (2004) ‘Economic insecurity and the globalisation of production’, American Journal of Political Science , 48 (4):662–74.

[41] Sen, A. (1997) ‘Inequality, unemployment and contemporary Europe’, International Labour Review , 136 (2):3–22.

[42] Sen, A. (1999) Development as Freedom , Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[43] Sen, G. & S. Batliwala (2000) ‘Empowering women for reproductive rights’ in H.B. Presser & G. Sen (eds) Women's Empowerment and Demographic Processes: Moving Beyond Cairo , Oxford: Oxford University Press:15–36.

[44] Singa Boyenga, J. (2007) ‘ILO Data Base on export processing zones (revised)’ in Working Paper Series, Sectoral Activities Programme , Geneva: International Labour Organisation.

[45] Standing, G. (1989) ‘Global feminisation through flexible labour’, World Development , 17 (9):1077–1095.

[46] Standing, G. (1999) ‘Global feminisation through flexible labour: A theme revisited’, World Development , 23 (3):583–602.

[47] Tandrayen-Ragoobur, V. & A. Ayrga (2011) ‘Phasing out of the MFA: Impact on women workers in the Mauritian EPZ sector’, International Conference on International Trade and Investment (ICITI) , Le Reduit, Moka. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.academia.edu/1855440/Phasing_Out_of_the_MFA_Impact_on_Women_Workers_in_the_Mauritian_EPZ_Sector.

[48] Teye, J.K. (2012) ‘Benefits, challenges and dynamism of positionalities associated with mixed methods research in developing world: Evidence from Ghana’, Journal of Mixed Methods , 6 (4):379–91. doi:10.1177/1558689812453332.

[49] Vercillo, S. (2010) ‘EPZ and the lack of decent work: The feminisation of poverty within Mauritius’. Accessed April, 14, 2012 from www.sieravercillo.wordpress.com.

[50] Wrigley-Asante, C. (2007) ‘Empowering women through poverty reduction programmes: The case of Dangme West District of Ghana’ (Unpublished PhD thesis), Legon: University of Ghana.

[51] Wrigley-Asante, C. (2011) ‘Women becoming bosses: Changing gender roles and decision making in Dangme West District of Ghana’, Ghana Journal of Geography , 3:60–87.

[52] Young, K. (2002) ‘Planning from a gender perspective’ in N. Visvanathan, L. Duggan, N. Wiegersma & L. Nisonoff (eds) The Women, Gender and Development , Reader Zed Books:366–74.