Women workers' voices ignored in Central America

Questionable labour practices in factories and plantations supplying foreign firms are often in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) limelight. Although women play a key role in the export industry workforce in developing countries, CSR initiatives are not equal for women and men. Unless women workers are involved in developing, implementing and monitoring codes of conduct, improvements in the working lives of employees will not happen.

In collaboration with local researchers and organisations, research by the University of Bristol asks how women workers have experienced voluntary codes of conduct in the textile sector and on banana plantations in Central America. The research carried out a gendered analysis of the wording of the codes, their implementation and monitoring, and most importantly explored women's own ideas for improvement. Key findings include:

• Women workers' voices and their organisations are excluded even if they are intended to benefit from corporate codes of conduct.
• Women can, nonetheless, suggest how codes could work. Their ideas include improving monitoring practices by local organisations and increasing the awareness and commitment of local management and of all workers to gender issues.
• Codes of conduct need to go beyond broad prohibitions on types of discrimination and include more specific gender issues such as childcare, maternity rights, and promotion of women.
• A few companies are addressing these concerns and have shown that improvement is possible - but they are a minority.
• Firms can learn from the experience of fair trade initiatives which have experienced similar problems. ECOTA, for example, a fair trade forum in Bangladesh, has focused on issues such as maternity leave, gender equity, women and leadership and the need for a written gender policy and crêche facilities, see www.ecotaftf.org.

Current practice does not yet understand the challenges facing the private sector in achieving CSR for men and women. Policy implications include:

• Gendered and genuinely participatory methods are needed in developing, implementing and monitoring CSR standards that are equally responsive to men and women workers.
• Transnational corporations must adhere to the voluntary commitments to CSR expressed in their codes of conduct.
• Governments and international organisations can provide support to local organisations and highlight good practice.

Marina Prieto-Carrón
School for Policy Studies
University of Bristol
Bristol BS8 1T
UK
T +44 (0)117 954 6755
F +44(0)117 954 6756
marina.prieto@bristol.ac.uk

See also

Is There Anyone Listening? Women Workers in Factories in Central America and Corporate Codes of Conduct Development Volume 47/3 by Marina Prieto, 2004

Supply Chain Codes of Conduct and Fair Trade Initiatives: Winning New Markets While Promoting Gender Equality by M. Prieto, C. Seeley and D. F. Murphy in 'Trade and Gender: Opportunities and Challenges for Developing Countries', edited by A. Tran-Nguyen and A. B. Zampetti, United Nations, New York and Geneva, 2004

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