Caught between flexibility and job insecurity

Abstract

This paper analyses the changes that took place during more than a decade within the electronics industry based in Guadalajara, Jalisco. By using interviews with managers and female workers and following the women’s trajectories, this paper studies the changes in the workforce composition, working conditions and hiring practices. It also takes into account the meaning that work has on these women’s lives and their households.The paper shows that, through the years, working conditions have deteriorated, leaving the workers in a vulnerable and precarious situation.