German Vega Briones

Work, Gender and Family Dynamics in the U.s.-mexican Border: Subtitle: the Ciudad Juarez Case German Vega Briones

Everybody knows about the importance of Ciudad Juarez s? maquiladora employment, and the strong business relationship with the United Sates of North America; however recently a lot of people has been shaken up due to almost four hundred women have been murdered and until now we do not have a general answer to this lamentable situation. Some researchers have commented about the Ciudad Juarez ?sexed environment? within the maquiladoras and how it affects gender relations. This book focuses on both male and female perspectives on changes in gender and family roles in the Northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. I argue that there are significant changes in such roles within the family, community, and employment. I argue also that employment conditions and a series of economic crises have ?shaken up? traditional attitudes to gender and family in Mexico, specially between men. Changes in gender and family roles are analyzed from interviews with over 97 men and women, drawn from households of maquiladora workers in Ciudad Juarez.