A gendered analysis of the ready-made garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh: a paradox of empowerment and dis-empowerment

Neoliberal globalization is a gendered process. Transnational production in its search for “cheap, docile, and dexterous” labor has led to the expansion of the Bangladeshi export-led garment industry, which in turn has resulted in the feminization of labor. While the increase in number of poor women workers entering the formal economy of Bangladesh may give the impression of empowerment, I argue that the disadvantages associated with employment in the garments sector creates a paradox of empowerment and dis-empowerment. Does economic opportunity inevitably lead to the empowerment of all women? In this thesis I will examine the gendered processes of neoliberal globalization and their impact on women workers in the garment industry