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A Gendered Analysis of IT-Enabled Service Work in the Global Economy

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Gender in Transnational Knowledge Work

Part of the book series: Crossroads of Knowledge ((CROKNOW))

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Abstract

In this chapter, we aim to weave together a number of areas of literature in order to highlight gender inequality in IT-enabled service work in the global economy. Far from reshaping women’s lives and creating new opportunities, we suggest that the global sourcing of IT-enabled service work offers limited benefit to women, who remain in their position as the poorest of the poor. Cultural factors still militate against progress for women with a downgrading and devaluing of “women’s work” as material structures continue to restrict their vertical and global mobility. In this chapter, therefore we will discuss women’s working lives in the global economy and then discuss in more detail the specifics of employment in call centers, shared service centers, and in the IT/ICT sector globally. Finally, we highlight some potential avenues for future research.

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Acknowledgments

An earlier version was published in the journal New Technology Work and Employment 2008, 23: 44–60.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Debra Howcroft

  2. Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University, Stoddart Building, Sheffield, S1 1WB, UK

    Helen Richardson

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  1. Debra Howcroft
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Correspondence to Debra Howcroft .

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  1. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Helen Peterson

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Howcroft, D., Richardson, H. (2017). A Gendered Analysis of IT-Enabled Service Work in the Global Economy. In: Peterson, H. (eds) Gender in Transnational Knowledge Work. Crossroads of Knowledge. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43307-3_2

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