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Hard Drives and Glass CeilingsGender Stratification in High-Tech ProductionUniversity of Wisconsin, Milwaukee The article focuses on the persistent links between workplace stratification and gender ascription in the organization of flexible high-tech production. Using a comparative case study analysis of three multinational electronics firms in the Philippines, it examines three key organizational factors: firm nationality, product characteristics, and existing labor relationsthat help drive variation in the gendering and gendered impact of technological upgrading. It also considers three extra-organizational factorstrends in flexible production, the role of the host state, and gender ideologiesthat also influence firm choices. The article assesses the variation in gendered processes and outcomes focusing on the fulfillment of workers practical needs versus strategic gender interests. The article finds that despite continued variation at the firm level, extra-organizational pressures will likely contribute to continued gender stratification as firms upgrade, leading to the potential masculinization of skilled high-tech work.
Key Words: technology work electronics labor control Philippines
Gender & Society, Vol. 20, No. 2,
207-235 (2006) |
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