Gender and Work in Global Value Chains: Capturing the Gains? by Stephanie Barrientos

Gender and COVID‐19: Workers in global value chains

“…Studies show that women bear the brunt of economic and social disruptions accompanying health and economic crises, and that they are affected both disproportionately and differently (UN 2020). The dual nature of this crisis has compounded the challenges for women workers, who have remained largely invisible in the GVC literature, with some notable exceptions (for example, Barrientos 2019;Bamber and Staritz 2016). In this article we ask the question: what are the different pathways by which the pandemic affects women workers in GVCs and how do gendered institutions and norms shape them?…”

Three labour governance mechanisms for addressing decent work deficits in global value chains

“…This buyer squeeze on suppliers has in turn resulted in a supplier squeeze on workers, who experience below living wages, excessive working hours, increased work intensity and a denial of their rights to form unions and bargain collectively (Anner). These impacts disproportionately affect women, further undermining attempts to achieve decent work (Barrientos 2019).…”

Introduction: Disruptions in global value chains – Continuity or change for labour governance?

“…The unequal participation of women workers in GVCs has become a core issue in the academic and policymaking communities (Barrientos 2019). Taking this one step further, the article "Gender and COVID-19: Workers in global value chains" by Sheba Tejani and Sakiko Fukuda-Parr applies an innovative framework for analysing gendered effects on workers in low-value-added GVC segments that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent economic disruption.…”