Beautiful Flowers of the Maquiladora: Life Histories of Women Workers in Tijuana. Norma Iglesias Prieto. Texas: University of Texas Press, 1997 x and 115 pp., photographs, notes, bibliography. 15.95$ paperback (ISBN 0-292 – 73869 – 2)
Reviewed by Jeff Bunge, student 08’, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Norma Iglesias Prieto wrote the book titled Beautiful Flowers of the Maquiladora. The book is based on information gathered by a researcher from Tijuana who interviewed over fifty women working in Mexican factories or Maquiladoras along the United States/Mexico border. The research was conducted in the late 1970s, however many of the conditions described by the women are still present today. This book is valuable to our understanding of the plight of women working in maquiladoras along the United States/Mexico border. During our trip along the border we toured a maquildadora. It was an Australian based company called AnSell, located in Ciudad Juarez. I noticed many similarities between the maquiladora we visited and the harsh conditions of the factories the Mexican women described in the book. The vivid descriptions presented in the book would be enough to keep the interest of any adult. The book provided an opportunity to compare some of the observations I made at the maquiladora we visited, such as the low pay and dangerous work conditions to the observations of a researcher. We learned that the minimum wage for a Mexican worker at AnSell was six dollars a day. The first hand accounts of the women working in the maquiladoras provided a better understanding of the struggles working women face in Mexico.
The introduction explained the different events that occurred along the United States and Mexican border during the late 1970’s. She explained the devaluation of the peso, the end of the bracero program, outsourcing, NAFTA, and the social culture of the maquiladora. The book included vivid descriptions of the women involved in the interviewing process and their testimonials. A brief overview of each chapter was located in the introduction. This book contained many powerful quotes, which are included in my own review of the book. There are seven chapters in the Beautiful Flowers of the Maquiladora. The author described and analyzed the significance and meaning of being a female maquiladora worker on the U.S. Mexico border. The introduction was well written as it aided in my understanding of what the nature of the border was like during the time of the research for the book. Mexican workers, whether female or male, continue to face many of the same problems the author described in her writings in the late 1970’s.
The first chapter is titled “Meeting the Demand”. The chapter focused on the difference between U.S and Mexican production standards. “There is an essential difference between U.S. Production standards, which are seen as aims to be met, and Mexican standards, which are seen as the minimum necessary for every worker to meet in order to keep his or her job (pg 15).” Despite the long hours, monotonous jobs, minimal pay, and unhealthy working condition the Mexican women working in Maquiladoras work hard to feed their children. The disparity between the two countries bordering each other is unfortunate.
The second chapter was titled “Realm of Work”. It went into detail describing the harsh conditions faced by the women who worked in maquiladoras. “The worst drawbacks of maquiladora work is all the damage we do to our health. Factory labor involves working with acids and solvents, handling hot materials, and for many women, long hours of working with a microscope (pg 21).” This reminded me of the burning sensation in my eyes from the chlorine in the air at the maquiladora we visited. The chemicals in the air and loud machinery could not have been good for the worker’s health. In the United States, OSHA would levy fines and shut down factories with conditions far less dangerous than the one we visited or those described in the book.
The third chapter was titled “We Women are Responsible” and focused on the disparity between the reasons women workers are hired and why they think they are hired. One reason women are hired over men is that they are not as political and are less likely to stand up for themselves. The social reality is that women generally have low levels of schooling and no work experience. Therefore they have a limited knowledge of their rights as laborers. The women working in the factories believe they hire women because men create more problems. They believe women make maquiladoras more productive. “The historical oppression of women has fostered a widespread attitude of docility and obedience with women (pg 32).” The two different viewpoints are presented allowing the reader unique perspectives on both sides of the issue.
The fourth chapter is titled “Maquila Muchachas: Pretty Young Maids.” It describes hiring practices by the owners of the maquiladora. The majority of owners focused on hiring young ladies whose age and gender insured a lack of work experience. Their lack of experience insured workers who would not question their superiors. For this reason young women continue to be targeted as workers. The factory owners are able to control and exploit the young female workers who were usually between the age of sixteen and twenty five years of age.
The fifth chapter is titled “Who I Am, Where I Come From and Where am I Going.” It discusses the importance of who makes up the maquiladoras. Sixty percent of the workers are migrant worker in search of a better life. It also explains where they came from and what they wanted to do. Many of the workers came from non- industrialized areas in Mexico. “They are grateful for the opportunity to work. The owners understand and take advantage of their gratitude in order to preserve the high productivity and quality of work in their factory (pg 60).”
The fifth chapter is titled “Most beautiful Flower of the Maquildadora”. It explained why so few of the women working in the factories consider uniting in the struggle for better work. The author’s research showed that the Mexican women think of their working lives as a secondary activity, a temporary alternative.
The last chapter titled “Solidez; An Embattled Maquiladora” focuses on the impact the formation of unions had on female workers. Many of the female workers were single mothers. Strikes were especially difficult for women to participate in because if they were not working their children were not eating. After a successful strike the women realized that the union could be used to gain personal time and shorter hours. However, membership in unions was rare during this time.
Many of the same problems Maquiladora workers faced in the late 1970s are prevalent today. I recommend everyone aboard the recent Geography of the U.S. Mexico border trip read Beautiful Flowers of the Mauqiladora. Also anyone interested in women or labor rights would find this book interesting. It is thought provoking to read about social problems; especially ones our class observed first hand.