Gendered industry and feminization of the labor force: A social reproduction analysis from China

Abstract

This study examines the effect of industrialization on the feminization of the labor focusing on a Tibetan embroidery industry in China. The industry is pivotal in addressing poverty, employing women, safeguarding ethnic culture, and stimulating local economic growth. Through the lens of social reproduction in feminist political economy, an analytical framework was developed to discuss the findings. The results reveal that while the embroidery industry is gendered and serves as a vital source of income for women, it inadvertently overlooks the inherent paradoxes in unpaid labor of social reproduction. State subsidies push forward the industry, but the unpaid and hidden labor rooted within household and community spheres, coupled with the industry's nascent stage, pulls back growth. These push-pull dynamics underlie a homebound trap where most embroidery artisans are confined to low-paid, home-based piecework in an informal labor market. The study outlines implications to navigate a way out of this trap.