Health, Women's Work, and Industrialization - Center for Gender in ...

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Obviously, basic expenses (rent, food, transportation) vary from country
to country, but they take up a considerable portion of the worker's monthly
pay in any case, as seen in Table 7.
Work hours can vary by location and business demand. Overtime is
prevalent at times of high productivity, but the demand on industry is
subject to wide fluctuation; during the 1974 recession, for example, an
estimated 15,000 electronics workers in Singapore (about half of the
industry) were retrenched (Lim 1978b). More than the hours, workers
complain about shiftwork, which increases as automated equipment is
introduced. In some countries, such as Si ngapore and Mal aysi a, exi sti ng
legislation against night work for women has been waived to allow
el ectroni cs compani es to introduce rotati ng shiftwork and permanent ni ght
shifts. The workers have complained that rotation is disruptive to eating
and sleeping, family responsibilities, and social life.
In additi on to the shifts, workers' 1 i ves are domi nated by producti on
targets to which workers' wages are often tied. Failure to meet a target
can mean i nsuffi ci ent daily pay, loss of meri t increases, being scol ded in
front of other workers, or even dismissal. To maintain the push for
productivity, management often displays graphs showing production
achi evement by i ndivi dual workers and promotes competi ti on between
departments or individuals to achieve targets (Lim 1978b).
Because of the hours, the shifts, the fast pace of work, and pressure
from management, many researchers have reported repeated complaints of
stress and fati gue (Grossman 1978; Lim 1978b; Woon 1982; Pagl aban 1978),
though few systematic studies have been undertaken. (See Table 8.)
Numerous anecdotal reports reveal problems such as eyesight deterioration,
respiratory diseases, and even cancer among workers. Even the few
descriptive surveys which have been conducted sUbstantiate the prevalence of
complaints reported in the more sensational accounts. A few health surveys
have looked at overall health problems. Eyesight problems, skin disorders,
gastrointestinal problems, and musculoskeletal problems have all been
documented, as well as complaints of dizziness, insomnia, and weakness.
Mass hysteria has also been frequently reported in the electronics industry
in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as in the U.S. (Ackerman
1980; Chan et al. 1979; Chew et al. 1976; Lim 1978b; Colligan et al. 1979).
Some researchers even report that health problems are a major cause of labor
turnover (Froebel et al. 1980; El son and Pearson 1980; Bl ake and Moonstan
1982). One report suggests that the eyesight of the workers becomes so poor
that many have to vacate the workforce by age 25 (Grossman 1978).
Generally, Asian governments have few regulations regarding health and
safety. They may have labor laws that guarantee holidays, breaks, sick
leaves, and maternity leaves, and they may provide a range of health care
services, but occupational health laws are still lacking. Where regulations
do exist, they tend to be structure- or process-oriented in that they tend
to specify composition and frequency of meetings for safety committees
rather than set standards for health and safety. Enforcement is a rarity.