An Understanding of the Relationship between Maquiladoras and Women's Rights in Central America

The impacts of globalization, deregulation, and free trade on Central American women, whether married or single, are numerous. On either side of the political borders, individual lives and cultures are impacted, often with dire results. Because of traditional gendered roles in these cultures, women's entrance into the formal economic sector has been slow and difficult. Maquiladoras created by globalization provide jobs for poor and undereducated women with few other options of employment. Because of the natures of the global economic system and issues of gender, the positions of these women of poverty are easily exploited. Though the consequences can be devastating, out of chaos and conflict also comes growth. As people become more aware of the negative effects of globalization and its counterparts, changes, though slow, are made.