Loom to Legislature: Modeling the Effect of Textile and Garment Industry Employment on Women’s Political Power Through Comparative Analysis of Thailand and Viet Nam

Starr, Thomas

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Loom to Legislature: Modeling the Effect of Textile and Garment Industry Employment on Women’s Political Power Through Comparative Analysis of Thailand and Viet Nam Public Deposited

Analytics

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/9z903146h

Abstract

Across the world, the textile and garment manufacturing industry provides first-employment opportunities to millions of women, particularly in developing countries. These jobs allow women to work outside of the home or family farm for the first time, exposing them to countless new opportunities that past generations lacked. Of these new opportunities, perhaps the most important are the political opportunities that arise from the greater economic and decision-making power afforded to women employed in the textile and garment industry. However, past literature is not conclusive as to the exact method by which employment leads to this increased political power for women in developing nations. Therefore, this paper presents 5 distinct hypotheses as to the conditions which allow for manufacturing employment, specifically in the textile and apparel sector, to increase the opportunity for women to become involved in politics and make independent political decisions. These hypotheses are then combined into a model to visualize the effects this employment has. This model is then tested through a comparative analysis of Thailand and Viet Nam, with each hypothesis being examined through the lens of the two Southeast Asian countries. This analysis serves as evidence for the model, with the differences between the two countries aligning with the theorized conditions necessary for apparel industry employment to have a positive effect on women’s political power. As such, this model serves as a beginning point for further research into this relationship, having provided a plausible theoretical framework for how textile and garment manufacturing jobs can lead to greater political opportunities for women in developing nations.

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