The North American Free Trade Agreement and Women: The Canadian and Mexican Experiences

This article assesses the impact of NAFTA on women workers, focusing on the garment industry in Ontario, Canada, and the maquiladoras industry in Mexico. The author traces the restructuring of the textile and manufacturing industry in Canada as a result of NAFTA and discusses how this has led to job reductions, depressed wages and working conditions for women. She then reviews policies adopted by the Mexican government aimed at inserting Mexico into the global economy and the resulting shifts in labour patterns within the maquiladoras in terms of both work structure and gender composition. The author argues that the growth of the industrial sector does not necessarily lead to improved wages and working conditions, particularly for women, and outlines issues that remain inadequately addressed such as childcare, collective bargaining rights, and an adequate wage.