Case study : gender, industrialization, and the labor force in Ecuador

The entry of women into the industrial labor force, however, has not translated into equal opportunities for women and men. Rather, the structure and dynamics of the labor market are strongly influenced by societal attitudes about what activities are appropriate for women and the differing natural capacities of women and men. This study provides information on the extent to which Ecuador"s industrial development will depend on women compared to men workers; who is likely to benefit from increased employment and in which subsectors; and some of the reasons why these distributions may be occurring. The principal data source for this descriptive analysis is the Government of Ecuador"s annual national urban household survey on employment, unemployment, and underemployment -- the Encuesta Permanente de Hogares (EPH). Additional data were drawn from population censuses and national manufacturing and mining surveys. Findings are used to describe: (1) gender-based discrimination in Ecuadorean industry, with special emphasis on manufacturing; (2) the magnitude and characteristics of the division of labor by gender in industry; and (3) the actual distribution of male and female workers within manufacturing. (Author abstract)