Incalculable toil: the work-health relationship of Sri Lankan factory women workers

Abstract

Within an identical workplace, the experiences of being a woman and being a man are arguably quite different. This study focused on one aspect of such different experiences. This thesis examines the situation of women factory workers in Sri Lanka particularly focusing on the impact of factory work on women workers' health. Due to the close interrelationship between work and non-work spheres, in this study women workers' working and living experiences have been examined when analysing the health impact of factory work. The study was undertaken from January 2004 to March 2004 in Sri Lanka and the research field was the Katunayake Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Sri Lanka where a large number of factories function with a predominantly young female labour force. This study consisted of both primary and secondary data. The primary data was gathered by in-depth interviews with 11 women workers. In addition, the researcher's observations made when visiting a factory, and interviews with 3 key persons, contributed to a more detailed context in which to analyse the women's narratives. The theoretical framework of the study derives from feminism, however the main focus is the synthesis of two feminist theories, Radical and Marxist, known as 'Dual systems' (Walby, 1986; 1990; 1997) or 'political economy'(Doyal, 1995). This thesis argues that factory work has health consequences for the women workers and that this health impact has been taken for granted by the employers as well as employees. Along with this argument this study further suggests a counter argument that not all paid work positively affects women in terms of empowering them. On the contrary by making women victims of gender subordination the globalized labour market exacts a high cost in terms of women's individual health.