Relational Well-being of Female Workers in Low-Skilled Jobs in Ethiopia

If you have found this article useful and you think it is important that researchers across the world have access, please consider donating, to ensure that this valuable collection remains Open Access.

Zanj is published by Pluto Journals, an Open AcZcess publisher. This means that everyone has free and unlimited access to the full-text of all articles from our international collection of social science journals. Furthermore Pluto Journals authors don’t pay article processing charges (APCs).

scite_

Smart Citations

Citing PublicationsSupportingMentioningContrasting

View Citations

See how this article has been cited at scite.ai

scite shows how a scientific paper has been cited by providing the context of the citation, a classification describing whether it supports, mentions, or contrasts the cited claim, and a label indicating in which section the citation was made.

Header Abstract Content Author and article information References Comments

Zanj: The Journal of Critical Global South Studies

Volume 8, Issue 1-2

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Is Open Access

Relational Well-being of Female Workers in Low-Skilled Jobs in Ethiopia

Published

research-article

Author(s): Konjit H. Gudeta ¹ , Valentina Mazzucato ² , Elsje Fourie , Bilisuma Dito ³ , Kai J. Jonas ⁴ , Karen Schelleman-Offermans ⁴

Publication date (Electronic, pub): 25 January 2025

Journal: Zanj: The Journal of Critical Global South Studies

Publisher: Pluto Journals

Keywords: relational well-being, female employment, global production networks, flower and apparel sectors, Ethiopia

Bookmark

Abstract

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Title: Zanj: The Journal of Critical Global South Studies

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN: 2515-2149

Publication date (Electronic, pub): 25 January 2025

Volume: 8

Issue: 1-2

Pages: 162-189

Affiliations

[1 ] Addis Ababa University’s School of Commerce, Ethiopia;

[2 ] Maastricht University, the Netherlands;

[3 ] Globalization and Development at Maastricht University, the Netherlands;

[4 ] Applied Social Psychology at Maastricht University, the Netherlands;

Author information

Konjit H. Gudeta https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3261-7614

Valentina Mazzucato https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3008-6541

Bilisuma Dito https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3208-2691

Kai J. Jonas https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6607-1993

Karen Schelleman-Offermans https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3193-0764

Article

DOI: 10.13169/zanjglobsoutstud.8.1.0009

SO-VID: 95d15659-8164-4c28-8dd9-44266f73bf23

License:

Published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International ( CC BY 4.0). Users are allowed to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially), as long as the authors and the publisher are explicitly identified and properly acknowledged as the original source.

History

Funding

Funded by: funder-id , NWO-WOTRO;

Award ID: W07.30318.015

References

Admasu Kesete-Birhan. Designing a Resilient National Health System in Ethiopia: The Role of Leadership. Health Systems & Reform. Vol. 2(3):182–186. 2016. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Akhter Sadika, Rutherford Shannon, Chu Cordia. Sufferings in silence: Violence against female workers in the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh: A qualitative exploration. Women's Health. Vol. 15:2019. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
BARRIENTOS Stephanie, GEREFFI Gary, ROSSI Arianna. Economic and social upgrading in global production networks: A new paradigm for a changing world. International Labour Review. Vol. 150(3-4):319–340. 2011. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
Biswas-Diener Robert, Diener Ed. Social Indicators Research. 2001. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]
Blanas Sotiris, Seric Adnan, Viegelahn Christian. Job Quality, FDI and Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Firm-Level Data. The European Journal of Development Research. Vol. 31(5):1287–1317. 2019. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]
Braun Virginia, Clarke Victoria. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. Vol. 3(2):77–101. 2006. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Carswell Grace, De Neve Geert. Labouring for global markets: Conceptualising labour agency in global production networks. Geoforum. Vol. 44:62–70. 2013. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Cheru Fantu, Oqubay Arkebe. Catalysing China–Africa Ties for Africa’s Structural TransformationChina-Africa and an Economic Transformation. p. 282–309. 2019. Oxford University PressOxford. [Cross Ref]
Coe Neil M., Jordhus-Lier David C.. Constrained agency? Re-evaluating the geographies of labour. Progress in Human Geography. Vol. 35(2):211–233. 2011. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Coe Neil M, Yeung Henry Wai-chung. Global production networks: mapping recent conceptual developments. Journal of Economic Geography. Vol. 19(4):775–801. 2019. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]
Coniglio Nicola D., Prota Francesco, Seric Adnan. Foreign Direct Investment, Employment and Wages in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Journal of International Development. Vol. 27(7):1243–1266. 2015. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
De Blasis Fabio. Global horticultural value chains, labour and poverty in Tanzania. World Development Perspectives. Vol. 18:2020. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Getahun Tigabu D., Villanger Espen. Labour-Intensive Jobs for Women and Development: Intra-household Welfare Effects and Its Transmission Channels. The Journal of Development Studies. Vol. 54(7):1232–1252. 2018. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Godfrey Shane. Global, regional and domestic apparel value chains in Southern Africa: social upgrading for some and downgrading for others. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. Vol. 8(3):491–504. 2015. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]
Halvorsen Sandra Kristine. Labour turnover and workers' well-being in the Ethiopian manufacturing industry. 2021. UNU-WIDER. [Cross Ref]
Huovinen Rebecca, Blackmore Chloe. The Dynamics of Relational Wellbeing in the Context of Mobility in PeruCultures of Wellbeing. p. 175–197. 2016. Palgrave Macmillan UK. [Cross Ref]
Legese Habtamu. Determinants of foreign direct investment in Ethiopia: Systematic review. International Journal of Business and Economic Development. Vol. 6(03)2019. Centre for Business and Economic Research. [Cross Ref]
Marslev Kristoffer, Staritz Cornelia, Raj‐Reichert Gale. Rethinking Social Upgrading in Global Value Chains: Worker Power, State‒Labour Relations and Intersectionality. Development and Change. Vol. 53(4):827–859. 2022. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
McGregor J. Allister. Researching wellbeing: from concepts to methodologyWellbeing in Developing Countries. p. 316–350. 2007. Cambridge University Press. [Cross Ref]
Nadvi K.. Global standards, global governance and the organization of global value chains. Journal of Economic Geography. Vol. 8(3):323–343. 2008. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]
NGUYEN Hanh. Expectations versus reality: The well‐being of female migrant workers in garment factories in Myanmar. International Labour Review. Vol. 160(2):219–242. 2021. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
Nisrane Beza L., Ossewaarde Ringo, Need Ariana. “I Should Get Married as Soon as Possible, but the Relationships I Start Do Not Work”: Marital Prospects of Ethiopian Female Return Migrants from the Arabian Gulf. Journal of Family Issues. Vol. 42(2):231–252. 2021. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Oya Carlos, Schaefer Florian. The politics of labour relations in global production networks: Collective action, industrial parks, and local conflict in the Ethiopian apparel sector. World Development. Vol. 146:2021. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Pahl Stefan, Timmer Marcel P.. Do Global Value Chains Enhance Economic Upgrading? A Long View. The Journal of Development Studies. Vol. 56(9):1683–1705. 2020. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Pankhurst Alula, Mariam. Damen Haile. The Iddir in Ethiopia: Historical Development, Social Function, and Potential Role in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control. Northeast African Studies. Vol. 7(2):35–57. 2000. Project MUSE. [Cross Ref]
Prentice Rebecca, De Neve Geert, Mezzadri Alessandra, Ruwanpura Kanchana N.. Health and safety in garment workers’ lives: Setting a new research agenda. Geoforum. Vol. 88:157–160. 2018. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Pyke Frank, Lund-Thomsen Peter. Social upgrading in developing country industrial clusters: A reflection on the literature. Competition & Change. Vol. 20(1):53–68. 2016. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Said-Allsopp Muhaimina, Tallontire Anne. Pathways to empowerment?: dynamics of women's participation in Global Value Chains. Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 107:114–121. 2015. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Selwyn Ben. Social Upgrading and Labour in Global Production Networks: A Critique and an Alternative Conception. Competition & Change. Vol. 17(1):75–90. 2013. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Staelens Lotte, Louche Céline. When the farm-gate becomes a revolving door: An institutional approach to high labour turnover. Human Relations. Vol. 70(12):1464–1485. 2017. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Staelens Lotte, Desiere Sam, Louche Céline, D’Haese Marijke. Predicting job satisfaction and workers’ intentions to leave at the bottom of the high value agricultural chain: evidence from the Ethiopian cut flower industry. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol. 29(9):1609–1635. 2018. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Teshome Elias, Zenebe Mulumebt, Metaferia Henok, Biadgilign Sibhatu. The Role of Self-Help Voluntary Associations for Women Empowerment and Social Capital: The Experience of Women’s Iddirs (Burial Societies) in Ethiopia. Journal of Community Health. Vol. 37(3):706–714. 2012. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]
TEJANI Sheba, FUKUDA‐PARR Sakiko. Gender and COVID‐19: Workers in global value chains. International Labour Review. Vol. 160(4):649–667. 2021. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
White Sarah C.. Analysing wellbeing: a framework for development practice. Development in Practice. Vol. 20(2):158–172. 2010. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Jha Shreya, White Sarah C.. ‘The Weight Falls on My Shoulders’: Close Relationships and Women’s Wellbeing in IndiaCultures of Wellbeing. p. 144–171. 2016. Palgrave Macmillan UK. [Cross Ref]
White Sarah C. Relational wellbeing: re-centring the politics of happiness, policy and the self. Policy & Politics. Vol. 45(2):121–136. 2017. Bristol University Press. [Cross Ref]
White Sarah C.. Economics, relationality and the good life in Chiawa, ZambiaThe Good Life Beyond Growth. p. 229–239. 2017. Routledge. [Cross Ref]
White Sarah C., Jha Shreya. Therapeutic culture and relational wellbeing 1The Routledge International Handbook of Global Therapeutic Cultures. p. 203–214. 2020. Routledge. [Cross Ref]

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Admasu Kesete-Birhan. Designing a Resilient National Health System in Ethiopia: The Role of Leadership. Health Systems & Reform. Vol. 2(3):182–186. 2016. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[2] Akhter Sadika, Rutherford Shannon, Chu Cordia. Sufferings in silence: Violence against female workers in the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh: A qualitative exploration. Women's Health. Vol. 15:2019. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[3] BARRIENTOS Stephanie, GEREFFI Gary, ROSSI Arianna. Economic and social upgrading in global production networks: A new paradigm for a changing world. International Labour Review. Vol. 150(3-4):319–340. 2011. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[4] Biswas-Diener Robert, Diener Ed. Social Indicators Research. 2001. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]

[5] Blanas Sotiris, Seric Adnan, Viegelahn Christian. Job Quality, FDI and Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Firm-Level Data. The European Journal of Development Research. Vol. 31(5):1287–1317. 2019. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]

[6] Braun Virginia, Clarke Victoria. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. Vol. 3(2):77–101. 2006. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[7] Carswell Grace, De Neve Geert. Labouring for global markets: Conceptualising labour agency in global production networks. Geoforum. Vol. 44:62–70. 2013. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[8] Cheru Fantu, Oqubay Arkebe. Catalysing China–Africa Ties for Africa’s Structural TransformationChina-Africa and an Economic Transformation. p. 282–309. 2019. Oxford University PressOxford. [Cross Ref]

[9] Coe Neil M., Jordhus-Lier David C.. Constrained agency? Re-evaluating the geographies of labour. Progress in Human Geography. Vol. 35(2):211–233. 2011. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[10] Coe Neil M, Yeung Henry Wai-chung. Global production networks: mapping recent conceptual developments. Journal of Economic Geography. Vol. 19(4):775–801. 2019. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]

[11] Coniglio Nicola D., Prota Francesco, Seric Adnan. Foreign Direct Investment, Employment and Wages in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Journal of International Development. Vol. 27(7):1243–1266. 2015. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[12] De Blasis Fabio. Global horticultural value chains, labour and poverty in Tanzania. World Development Perspectives. Vol. 18:2020. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[13] Getahun Tigabu D., Villanger Espen. Labour-Intensive Jobs for Women and Development: Intra-household Welfare Effects and Its Transmission Channels. The Journal of Development Studies. Vol. 54(7):1232–1252. 2018. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[14] Godfrey Shane. Global, regional and domestic apparel value chains in Southern Africa: social upgrading for some and downgrading for others. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. Vol. 8(3):491–504. 2015. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]

[15] Halvorsen Sandra Kristine. Labour turnover and workers' well-being in the Ethiopian manufacturing industry. 2021. UNU-WIDER. [Cross Ref]

[16] Huovinen Rebecca, Blackmore Chloe. The Dynamics of Relational Wellbeing in the Context of Mobility in PeruCultures of Wellbeing. p. 175–197. 2016. Palgrave Macmillan UK. [Cross Ref]

[17] Legese Habtamu. Determinants of foreign direct investment in Ethiopia: Systematic review. International Journal of Business and Economic Development. Vol. 6(03)2019. Centre for Business and Economic Research. [Cross Ref]

[18] Marslev Kristoffer, Staritz Cornelia, Raj‐Reichert Gale. Rethinking Social Upgrading in Global Value Chains: Worker Power, State‒Labour Relations and Intersectionality. Development and Change. Vol. 53(4):827–859. 2022. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[19] McGregor J. Allister. Researching wellbeing: from concepts to methodologyWellbeing in Developing Countries. p. 316–350. 2007. Cambridge University Press. [Cross Ref]

[20] Nadvi K.. Global standards, global governance and the organization of global value chains. Journal of Economic Geography. Vol. 8(3):323–343. 2008. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]

[21] NGUYEN Hanh. Expectations versus reality: The well‐being of female migrant workers in garment factories in Myanmar. International Labour Review. Vol. 160(2):219–242. 2021. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[22] Nisrane Beza L., Ossewaarde Ringo, Need Ariana. “I Should Get Married as Soon as Possible, but the Relationships I Start Do Not Work”: Marital Prospects of Ethiopian Female Return Migrants from the Arabian Gulf. Journal of Family Issues. Vol. 42(2):231–252. 2021. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[23] Oya Carlos, Schaefer Florian. The politics of labour relations in global production networks: Collective action, industrial parks, and local conflict in the Ethiopian apparel sector. World Development. Vol. 146:2021. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[24] Pahl Stefan, Timmer Marcel P.. Do Global Value Chains Enhance Economic Upgrading? A Long View. The Journal of Development Studies. Vol. 56(9):1683–1705. 2020. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[25] Pankhurst Alula, Mariam. Damen Haile. The Iddir in Ethiopia: Historical Development, Social Function, and Potential Role in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control. Northeast African Studies. Vol. 7(2):35–57. 2000. Project MUSE. [Cross Ref]

[26] Prentice Rebecca, De Neve Geert, Mezzadri Alessandra, Ruwanpura Kanchana N.. Health and safety in garment workers’ lives: Setting a new research agenda. Geoforum. Vol. 88:157–160. 2018. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[27] Pyke Frank, Lund-Thomsen Peter. Social upgrading in developing country industrial clusters: A reflection on the literature. Competition & Change. Vol. 20(1):53–68. 2016. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[28] Said-Allsopp Muhaimina, Tallontire Anne. Pathways to empowerment?: dynamics of women's participation in Global Value Chains. Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 107:114–121. 2015. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[29] Selwyn Ben. Social Upgrading and Labour in Global Production Networks: A Critique and an Alternative Conception. Competition & Change. Vol. 17(1):75–90. 2013. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[30] Staelens Lotte, Louche Céline. When the farm-gate becomes a revolving door: An institutional approach to high labour turnover. Human Relations. Vol. 70(12):1464–1485. 2017. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[31] Staelens Lotte, Desiere Sam, Louche Céline, D’Haese Marijke. Predicting job satisfaction and workers’ intentions to leave at the bottom of the high value agricultural chain: evidence from the Ethiopian cut flower industry. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol. 29(9):1609–1635. 2018. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[32] Teshome Elias, Zenebe Mulumebt, Metaferia Henok, Biadgilign Sibhatu. The Role of Self-Help Voluntary Associations for Women Empowerment and Social Capital: The Experience of Women’s Iddirs (Burial Societies) in Ethiopia. Journal of Community Health. Vol. 37(3):706–714. 2012. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]

[33] TEJANI Sheba, FUKUDA‐PARR Sakiko. Gender and COVID‐19: Workers in global value chains. International Labour Review. Vol. 160(4):649–667. 2021. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[34] White Sarah C.. Analysing wellbeing: a framework for development practice. Development in Practice. Vol. 20(2):158–172. 2010. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[35] Jha Shreya, White Sarah C.. ‘The Weight Falls on My Shoulders’: Close Relationships and Women’s Wellbeing in IndiaCultures of Wellbeing. p. 144–171. 2016. Palgrave Macmillan UK. [Cross Ref]

[36] White Sarah C. Relational wellbeing: re-centring the politics of happiness, policy and the self. Policy & Politics. Vol. 45(2):121–136. 2017. Bristol University Press. [Cross Ref]

[37] White Sarah C.. Economics, relationality and the good life in Chiawa, ZambiaThe Good Life Beyond Growth. p. 229–239. 2017. Routledge. [Cross Ref]

[38] White Sarah C., Jha Shreya. Therapeutic culture and relational wellbeing 1The Routledge International Handbook of Global Therapeutic Cultures. p. 203–214. 2020. Routledge. [Cross Ref]

Zanj: The Journal of Critical Global South Studies

Relational Well-being of Female Workers in Low-Skilled Jobs in Ethiopia

Journal

Affiliations

Author information

Article

History

Funding

Categories

Comment on this article