Gender patterns – Changes and choice in work opportunities in the global garment industry: A case study of women workers in Myanmar

RMIT Researchers

• Sara Todt
• Associate Professor Shelley Marshall
• Dr Kate Grosser

Project Description

This project explores how the gender regime of global garment industry intersects with local gender relations in shaping women’s lives and life choices. It will do so by interviewing women workers in Myanmar about how they make choice between gendered roles and expectations in production and reproduction and how changes in work opportunities fits into their livelihood strategies. This is particularly in the context of COVID-19 as the pandemic has had dire impacts on global garment consumption and production with millions of garment workers losing their jobs. The project will also test global production network theory in Myanmar by interviewing garment market experts to explore how gender relations in Myanmar impact on global garment production in the country through women’s labour supply behaviour.

Theme

Gender, Labour in Supply Chains

Key Words

Global garment production, women workers, Myanmar, global production networks, gender

Funding Sources

CRIMT, Australian Postgraduate Award to support PhD research