Name: Serene A/P Balasubramaniam (AEP130010) Siti Fatinah Binti Hassan (AEP130012) Course: AZEA 11Gender and Development
Lecturer: Dr. Welyne Jeffrey Jehom

Assignment
Globalization has brought about both positive and negative impact for women in developing countries. Globalization has made it possible for a French company to set up a factory and Malaysia and provide jobs for local women. But how this changed the local dynamics? Examine the impact of globalization for local women.

The definition for globalization is the tendency of investment funds and businesses to move beyond domestic and national markets to other markets around the globe, thereby increasing the interconnectedness of different markets. Globalization has had the effect of markedly increasing not only international trade, but also cultural exchange. From the economic perspectives, globalization are the transformation linked to ever-expanding market, intensified by the rapid the technological changes in communication and transportation that transcend national boundaries and shrinking space (Lourdes Beneria 2003). As we know, from the ninth century in Revolution era, all the western country practicing capitalism, where the main objectives is profit. Regarding this, in the early 90’s, the big company have come to our country such as the multinational company, Sime Darby. When this big company are build up here, we also get some benefit. In our research we want to investigate the impact of globalization when Petzl, a French company being open in Rawang, Selangor. Petzl Company are founded by Fernand Petzl and Pierre Chavelier on 1936. After 78 years, the company’s headquarters is at France and they have built up their company branch around the world like Malaysia, France and America. Petzl company are experts in making safety equipment product for verticality such as harness, helmet, belay devices ascender/rope ,clamps, crampons, ice axes and head lamp. At Rawang Malaysia’s branch, they have been operating since 2010. They sew the harness here. The company in Rawang has almost 90% female workers ad 10% male worker. The activity of sewing the harness is done by the majority of women. One of the qualification being ask during job interview for this company is the ability of sewing. They have about 108 workers overall where 77 are direct labor. They got 70% Malay worker, 10% Chinese worker and 10 % Indian worker. What makes this company special is that they provide a nursery to the workers, so that the mother can leave their children there without having to worry. The nursery started operating or was being open on September 2013. The nursery has 16 children and they undergo their daily routine like a normal children which are send to nursery. There are two teachers who teaches these children. In terms of payment, 50% of the fees is paid by the company while the other 50% is paid by the mother. These company have also implemented the minimum wages policy that is RM900++. The workers has 4 levels to achieve in order to increase their allowances. The levels are seen through color. The first stage is yellow for new workers, second is blue, third is red, and the last is gold. So the color shows that the workers has leveled up themselves. Here the higher they go, the more they learn about the machines and have more responsibility and their allowance increase according to the color like for blue is RM100. Apart from that, the company gives bonus to the workers if they make more profit. All the workers are covered by PERKESO, EPF, HRDF and insurances coverage. HRDF short form for human resource development fund is a fund used for workers to improve their skills. HDRF is a form of payment in advance paid so that the workers can undergo training. The insurance coverage that is offered to worker covers hospital bills, personal life and term life. All kind of this benefits is really give the impact to workers especially the women who works there.

Due to globalization, it has open many job opportunities for local women especially for women in third world countries including Malaysia. As we can see, the Petzl, a French company open a branch in Malaysia in a small part of Selangor known as Rawang. The company is situated inside a housing area in Rawang which facilitate women around that area to work there. From our interview with the women workers in the company, most of them stay nearby the company for example workers from Taman Tun Teja. Most of the women working in the company are the secondary income earner thus they use the income earned for their own needs and to buy things they like. Since most of their husbands are breadwinner of the family. These woman has an opportunity to earn an income due to globalization where they did not have to depend on their husband’s income. Basically, many women have the chances to be economically global.

Globalization allows women to change their families dynamic and the community. If the French company did not open in Rawang, most probably half of the women from that company would be unemployed and just be housewife. They are dependent on their husbands and the domestic work they do is not paid. However, due to globalization women have the opportunity to go out and earn a living also. Women here also earn and contributes to the family. Women becomes a helper in the financial of the family. In this company, the women’s helps their husband in sustaining the family. For example, one of the worker who has 4 children who are still young. We know that prices of things have increased and to support a family (including the wife if she was unemployed) is difficult if the husband is the breadwinner. Nonetheless, women who work not only contribute to her household but also to the community. Here we can see that the gender roles is equaled in the sense that both men and women can go out and work and make a living. In spite that, women’s domestic work does not change as it is their duty. The workers who has been interview, most said that their husbands do contribute to household chores. So here can see that, there is a form of understanding, compromise and working together between husbands and wife. One respondent who is pregnant said that, most work is done by her husband as they are having their 1st child after 8 years of marriage.The husband probably like to do house chores such as cooking,helping in washing and look after the children.One of our respondent said,her husband can help her because their working time is not same.Her husband working in the night while her working in the Petzl company on office hour which from 8 am to 5 pm.This kind of the time give the opportunity to their family

Most companies especially factories, their working hours are shift works. They have irregular working hours. Some days they work from 8am till 7pm and sometimes 11pm to 10am. They work more than 12 hours a day. Many factory workers are women but there are men’s also. Regardless of that, this company’s working hours is 8 am till 5pm. The workers here work for only 10 hours with one hours break in between. We can see that the working hours are different. For women to have shift work is rather difficult as they have to take care of their family. If they work from 11pm to 10am, the children’s welfare would be at state. This company actually has a rather interesting quality that is they have a nursery. Here, mother’s come to work at 8am with their children and leave them in the nursery. As we know, there are 2 teachers who teaches the children. In contrast, if the mother is working shift, she is not able to look after the young child and there might not be anyone to look after the child as well. Actually this can increase the productivity of these women.They no need to worry about their children and can keep focusing to their works.There are differences working in a local company and a multinational company in term of working hours. The wages earned is also different in the beginning. However recent years, the Malaysian government has made a ruling that the minimum wages should be RM900. So most factories has to follow this minimum wage but not all factories follow it. Before this was implemented, the wages that was earned was from RM500 to RM 850. This company also when it was opened. It initially paid the workers RM 500 with allowance but when the government implemented the minimum wage, their paid rose to RM900. According to one respondent who worked in a perfume factory the difference she feels is that in this company if she wants to promote her level she has to take the exam but in her previous company, promotion is given in a rather unfair manner as she is an Indian. This company’s way of promoting is by the workers desire to apply for the exam. If the pass the exam, they are promoted to the next level. As a result, they get a rise in their pay.

The negative impact of globalization is that many corporations want cheap labor to minimize their cost of production. One of the reasons why they open their company in a third World country is because of the cheap labor. Corporation desire female labor for assembly production because they would accept the lower wages than men would accept. Due to gender stereotype, women are always paid lower than men. Corporation think that women do the lighter job and men do heavier job thus they need to be paid more than women. Corporate company looks at women as an easy target and they exploit them by paying them with cheap labor. As we know they price of land has increased and the price to buy material is expensive. What this cooperate do is they try to reduce their cost of production by reducing the wages of the laborers. In other words, there are exploiting their workers because the aim of this corporation is profit. In addition, the reason why corporation prefer women laborers is because they are more meticulous and more careful with their job. For example, Sumatera in Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil in the world. However, the people who works in the palm oil plantation are living in poverty. How is that possible? Globalization should make the people in that area to be more develop and the area more develop as better home, water supply and education. In contrary, such this did not take place and the people there live in poverty. Women and men are treated unequally. Men are seen as stronger than women thus their job is to sickle the palm. Women’s job on the other hand is to fertilize the palm tree. Women are exploited in the sense that they are recognized as informal worker and men are formal worker. Women are not protected if there is any injury and this is a form of inequality. From here we can see that, due to globalization, there are negative effects not only to the country but also to the people in that country. But in the Petzl company we can see there is no side effect that make the women around the residential area are effected.One of our respondent said,working in international factory is good.She said that the employer are really respect the worker because the worker had help their company to gain the profit.They do not see the worker just as employee but as family.All the human right and also the employee right has been fulfill by the company where we can see,Petzl have provide the benefit and insurance to guarantee their worker long live terms. As we can see when the big company start to invest in some country,the migration from rural area to urban will be happen. Majority of our respondents, said that they starting migrate after they finish their school.Early on 1980’s the migration are starting in Malaysia.On that era,the industrialization are really rapidly develop in our country.The big company came and build up some factory here.The jobs opportunity had trigger especially the women to the big city like Selangor to find some work in order to survive in life.Our respondent said they can change their family in village and their life also.After that,they stay here and married and have family.They continue to work until now even they have family.Now,their income just to come their husband majority income.They really became independent women and not depend so much to their husband.Here we can see clearly how the globalization can impact the migration.Not only migration in the country but also out of country. The poorest country like Indonesia,they citizen like to migrate in legal or illegal way in order to continue their survival to live. But it also can bring the side effect of the migration when some of them came in illegal ways.They easily to be manipulated by the cruel employee.Theie right have been denied by this kind of people.This actually happen because these women had poor education level and the stereotype that women are weak and victimized gender. So the migration that actually can benefit to them is not benefit anymore because the salary are not enough for them to send back to their country.

conclusion In the nutshell,we can see the impact of globalization toward the gender.In the Petzl company the role of women that more near with nature are not denied.They role as mother are appreaciated by the employee when they have their own nursery in the factory.Besides that,the right as worker also have been fulfill with all the benefits such as insurance,PERKESO,EPF and HDPF.The promoting to next level of salary also easy without red tape. This globalization also have change the gender role when the division of the work have change.Because the wives are helping their husband to top up the income by working,the chores at home also not doing alone by the wives.The husband also help by doing some chores such as cooking,do the laundry and taking the children. This jobs in this company are really suitable to the women because mostly of women can do the sewing. It really help the women to be independent and no need to depend to their husband anymore if anything happen to their marriage one day.

Bibliography 1) http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/globalization.asp 2) Beneferia,L.(2003).Gender, Development and Globalization, economics as if all people mattered, Routledge, New York. 3)