Yet, women are the preferred workers under globalization. Shaped by patriarchal cultures that regard women as secondary citizens, women in Asia are molded towards subservience, patience and docility, the qualities required for "good workers". Using the patriarchal notion that "women's place is in the home" and that their earnings are merely supplementary to the income of their husbands, TNCs continue to depress their wages and employ them as temporary workers. So women in great numbers are hired during the peak season when demand for the company's products is at the highest only to be discarded when orders have slackened.

In many Asian countries, women compose the bulk of the reserved labor force. More women than men are not counted as part of the country's labor force though they engage in various odd jobs - selling cooked food and a variety of other wares in front of their houses, occasionally taking on laundry or cleaning jobs for their more affluent neighbors or helping friends to do some networking in order to sell products of TNCs. The proportion of unemployed to employed among women in the country's labor force is likewise higher when compared to that of men. TNCs take advantage of this situation by offering women lower wages for longer working hours and very disadvantageous flexible labor arrangements. Women, hard pressed for work and threatened by the stiff competition for rare jobs, agree to these arrangements without second thoughts.

At the same time globalization is aggravating the economic crisis making women more vulnerable not only to disadvantageous flexible labor arrangements but also to sexual abuse usually associated with such arrangements. To keep much needed jobs, many women victims of sexual harassment keep silent. Others accept the existence of sexual abuse as part of the risk of their jobs. Some even agree to the use of their body in exchange for a livelihood.

As globalization policies continue and the economic crisis becomes deeper, more and more women even those in the next generation will become victims of the TNCs ' drive for megaprofits.

This research conference is seen as a first step towards uniting women Asia wide against globalization policies affecting them as working women. It aims to come up with cutting-edge, ground breaking researches on impact and response of women to globalization; to conducting a research planning to develop a common understanding of how globalization policies are impacting on the lives of women and to share proposals of policy and advocacy on labor issues regarding globalization.

It will gather about 30 representatives of women's groups from all over Asia. The groups to be invited will either be: (a) organizations of working women; (b) support group for working women; (c) advocacy group for working women; and (d) has done research on working women. Their scope of work could be local, national or regional.

Selection of participants will start from the list of APRN members falling under any of the above-mentioned criteria, as well as high capacity women's organizations outside of APRN membership.

The research planning conference will cover discussion of survey of literature on women and globalization, identification of research gaps and possible areas for new research, inputs by invited individuals for member or non-member organizations on new insights and analysis of the women situation under globalization and their responses, and finally coordinated research planning.

The results of the researches as well as the planning conference will be published by APRN separately.

The APRN is a network of leading research NGOs in the region with the main objective of exchanging information on international issues, as well as experiences, technologies, and methods in research. At present, the APRN has 29 member organizations from 14 countries.

This conference is being organized by the APRN in cooperation with NGO-Coordinating Committee for Development, Committee on Asian Women, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law & Development, Center for Women's Resources and IBON Foundation and will be held for three days in Bangkok, Thailand.

For more information, contact the APRN Secretariat via secretariat@aprnet.org or visit the APRN website at www.aprnet.org.

download Pre-registration form.doc

For interested parties, please fill-up the pre-registration form attached and email it to APRN Secretariat.

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