Review of “Mexican Women Factories: Free Trade and Exploitation on the Border,” by Ella Howard. Austin: University of Texas Press. 2012, paper, 235 pages.
NAFTA and its impacts in Mexico
How do we go about solving the problem of poverty? Of empowering persons? When the US acts, is it doing so in the best interest of our neighbors?
This is an important book in understanding some of the impact that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had on Mexico. Ella Howard studies Mexican women working along the border in “maquilas” or factories, some of the more oppressive ones being referred to sometimes as “sweat shops.” She conducts a quantitative component in the form of a survey to be completed by women, followed by a qualitative component in the form of one-on-one interviews following up on what is revealed in the surveys.
It is interesting to look at how this book is organized, the kinds of questions Howard asks the women, and some of the topics for students to study.
Howard organizes the book by discussing the history of the border factories and the city of Nogales—which sits in two different countries. She includes a history of the maquila industry and seeks to discover whether the industry has brought about liberation or exploitation of the women.
She also includes chapters on how she designed her study, what the study revealed, and ways we can think about what she discovered. She also uses throughout the book the process of comparison-contrast, namely looking both at what is similar and what is different.
Howard poses questions related to both the working and living conditions of the women who are employed in the factories. She also asks questions related to quality of life, purpose of the work, feelings women develop as a result of their work, demands, schedules, and earnings. She includes in-depth discussion of the dwellings in which the women find themselves, the kinds of appliances they may have, the floor coverings, the furniture, and the utilities. Howard reveals some very interesting details indeed about the “colonias” in which the women live.
There is a great deal revealed in this book about Mexican culture, American corporate greed, border communities, poverty, wealth, fairness, and other topics. The reader will learn so much from looking at the situation…
discovering what NAFTA was supposed to achieve, and digesting the details of how things are for the people directly impacted by all of the new international factories found along the border.
This book is important reading for people who want to consider themselves informed voters, American citizens, and humane persons.
I recommend the book for many readers, but especially for people who want to read some true information about NAFTA and Mexico.
I also recommend the book to educators dealing with these kinds of topics in their classes: border communities, American business practices, US bills and laws, international trade and business, Mexican culture, gender roles, cultural differences, wealth and poverty, trade agreements, and the both the history and impact of NAFTA.
The book is important as a history textbook, cultural book, and personal reading for teachers. As educators, it is crucial we include fairness, advocacy, and empathy in our daily work. It is also good to look at things from more than one perspective. It is interesting to look at phenomena in their own context sometimes, and also revealing to look at things in a more universal way.