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Hyper‐Precarious Lives: Understanding Migration, Global Supply Chain, and Gender Dynamics in Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Hosna J. Shewly

    (Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Ellen Bal

    (Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Runa Laila

    (Independent Consultant)

Abstract

This article examines the lived experiences of precarity in Bangladesh’s ready‐made garments (RMG) industry, focusing on female migrant workers employed in Dhaka and surrounding industrial areas. Over the past three decades, the growth of the RMG sector has attracted economically disadvantaged rural women, distancing them from their traditional domestic and agricultural roles. This sector predominantly employs young women due to their perceived flexibility, low wages, and limited union involvement. Additionally, their status as “unskilled” workers in the lowest echelons of a gender‐stratified labour market, along with the influence of socio‐cultural power dynamics, constrains their capacity to negotiate their positions effectively. Drawing on in‐depth ethnographic research conducted in Dhaka and Gazipur, this article unravels the intricate interplay between insecure labour conditions, the impact of the global supply chain, and gender dynamics. It underscores the pivotal significance of socio‐cultural power dynamics in understanding the vulnerability experienced by female migrant labourers. We assert that a comprehensive understanding of precarious work requires recognising the inherent link between precarious employment and precarious life within the broader context of socio‐cultural power dynamics, gender norms, and societal relations.

Suggested Citation

  • Hosna J. Shewly & Ellen Bal & Runa Laila, 2024. "Hyper‐Precarious Lives: Understanding Migration, Global Supply Chain, and Gender Dynamics in Bangladesh," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v12:y:2024:a:7784
    DOI: 10.17645/si.7784
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romel Mostafa & Steven Klepper, 2018. "Industrial Development Through Tacit Knowledge Seeding: Evidence from the Bangladesh Garment Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(2), pages 613-632, February.
    2. Mark ANNER, 2019. "Predatory purchasing practices in global apparel supply chains and the employment relations squeeze in the Indian garment export industry," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 158(4), pages 705-727, December.
    3. Mark Anner, 2020. "Squeezing workers’ rights in global supply chains: purchasing practices in the Bangladesh garment export sector in comparative perspective," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(2), pages 320-347, March.
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