Women: Just. Do. It.

I found Cynthia Enloe’s description of the “neo-imperialism” of foreign women in the shoe industry to be highly disturbing. Enloe describes they ways in which Western companies use women as cheap labor for a product that they simultaneously promote to children of these women. For example, in Russia, women who sew Reebok sneakers believe that they are in a position of power to be working for a US company, while they also throw away their salaries for pairs of brand-name shoes for their children. Here is capitalism at its finest: female workers fall to the wayside as companies like Reebok or Nike gross $298 million (most of which going directly to white, male executives, I’m sure).

This globalization of the shoe industry would not have been possible without specific social constructions of women in foreign countries. Enloe explains that large Western corporations depend on these social constructs (i.e. women thinking of themselves as “good” daughters and fiancées) to make such large profits. Since women in these cultures are expected to make their own money for their families or for their own dowries, women are silenced because they cannot view themselves as true citizens with voices. Moreover, the consequences of departing from this established social system become losing any form of social stability, parental love, and financial support. However, even in the face of extreme social silence, many oppressed female workers have risen above their imperialized systems to slowly receive more and more human rights. Personally, I was shocked by the value held for minimum wages in South Korea ($1.89 per day in April 1995). But, Enloe states that due to extreme feminist activism in South Korea, the wage gap between men and women is slowly becoming smaller and smaller.

Another shocking portion of Enloe’s writing was the mode of control that was implemented against female activist workers. Enloe states that in the 1980s, when troops intervened on female employees rallying for their rights, they would sexually assault them via rape, stripping, and fondling. However, in the face of this most extreme form of subordination, women rose together through organizations such as the Korean Women Workers Association (KWWA) to aid abused factory workers, thus disabling complete male domination.

I found this unification of women to be inspiring and empowering. While female workers are heavily exploited, and require social change within their countries before they can be freed from the trappings of their cultures, they also act as the majority of the power behind Western corporations. Thus, with immense strength and courage, they hold the ability to takeover and create change for themselves. Moreover, as more privileged women living in the US (a more democratic and higher-paying country), we also have the responsibility to be there for these marginalized women. And thus, perhaps with a general “just do it” mentally within all females (as opposed to one of silence), anything can be accomplished for these workers in future years.