Feminist composite narratives of Chinese women: the interrelation of work, family and community in forced labour situations

Abstract

This contribution builds on the work Lewis has engaged in around women's decision-making processes on work and care. Gender has been an important consideration across her work and this has been explored in familial and organisational settings. The personal is undoubtedly political and a feminist lens privileges this. Previous research (including Lewis) has marked a shift from work-life balance to work personal life integration. This implies agency and perhaps a particular kind of woman able to make choices. In contrast, this paper focuses on Chinese migrant women working in vulnerable situations. Drawing on data gathered from a forced labour project, we present some composite narratives from women as daughters, mothers and wives. These highlight the role of the core economy in decisions about migration for work. Inevitably work decisions are bound up with and situated in wider care and familial networks. These insights around emotional and practical labour are feminist concerns. We present the complex decisions made by women around precarious work, present and distant ‘families’ and care. We suggest that future work-life research should heed Lewis’ call for more nuanced understandings of the multi-layered context of people's experiences, workplace practices and relevant national policies, but go beyond this, to pay attention to the globalised forces underpinning ever greater inequity in work, in families and in communities.

Esta contribución se basa en la obra de Lewis en torno a los procesos de toma de decisiones de las mujeres frente al trabajo y al cuidado. El género ha sido una consideración importante a lo largo de la obra de Lewis, explorándolo en contextos familiares y organizacionales. Lo personal es sin duda una cuestión política y el uso de unas lentes feministas lo privilegia. Investigaciones previas (incluyendo las de Lewis) marcaron una ruptura desde el balance trabajo-vida a la integración del trabajo y la vida personal. Esto implica la capacidad de agencia y tal vez un particular modelo de mujer dispuesta y capaz a hacer elecciones. Como contraste, este artículo se focaliza en las mujeres chinas que trabajan en contextos vulnerables. Usando datos obtenidos en un proyecto de investigación sobre el trabajo forzado, presentamos algunas narrativas personales procedentes de estas mujeres en tanto hijas, madres y esposas. Los testimonios destacan el papel central de una economía l mutualista implicita (‘core economy’) en decisiones sobre la migración para el empleo. En este sentido, tales decisiones están estrechamente unidas a su contexto más amplio de redes de cuidado y familia, cuestiones emocionales y prácticas del trabajo que preocupan a las perspectivas feministas. Presentamos las decisiones tomadas por las mujeres en relación al empleo precario, ‘las familias’ presentes y ‘lejanas’ y el cuidado. Apuntamos la necesidad de que futuras investigaciones longitudinales tomen en serio el llamamiento de Lewis a entender de manera más matizada los contextos y sus múltiples capas en relación a las experiencias de las personas, las prácticas en sus lugares de trabajo y las políticas nacionales relevantes, incluso yendo más allá, considerando las fuerzas globalizadas que subyacen a la cada vez mayor desigualdad en el empleo, en las familias y en las comunidades.

Keywords:

• work-life
• forced labour
• gender

Palabras claves:

• trabajo y vida
• trabajo forzado
• género

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Rebecca Lawthom is Professor of Community Psychology at the Centre for Social Change and Community Well Being, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK. Her research interests are in the areas of community psychology, disability and feminism. She has undertaken research projects which take experiences of marginalisation seriously and works in participatory ways with others to achieve social change and she is interested in qualitative, creative and collaborative methods and has published in this area. Rebecca is Co-Editor in Chief of Community, Work and Family.

Carolyn Kagan is Professor Emerita Community Social Psychology at the Centre for Social Change and Community Well Being, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK. Her interests are in social change with and from the perspective of those who are socially marginalised. She has been involved with widening the university-community engagement work for many years. Carolyn has supported a wide portfolio of research projects, many of them in partnership with the voluntary sector, exposing what life is like for people living in marginalised areas and precarious lives, and attempting to inform and influence public policy. Carolyn is a Co-Founding Editor of Community, Work and Family.

Notes

1. The International Labour Organisation defines forced labour as: ‘[ … ] all work which is extracted from any person under the menace of any penalty for which the person has not offered himself voluntarily’ (ILO, 1930).

2. Dishwasher.

3. Approximately 25,000 sterling.

4. Falun Gong or Falun Dafa (Great Law of the Falun) is a Chinese organization based on traditional qi gong practices that was founded in 1992. The Chinese government's attempts to suppress the movement they see as a cult have resulted in the group becoming known among human rights groups.