Globalization: Maquiladoras and Their Negative Impact Upon the Environment and Women in Mexico
Globalization: Maquiladoras and Their Negative Impact upon the Environment and Women in Mexico As firms increased commerce by expanding their business into markets located in different countries, numerous trade barriers and international restrictions have been progressively disabled. This cross-border trading has changed the once historically distinct and separate national markets into a global marketplace. Now the economies of countries throughout the world have become interpedently linked. This process of global integration is called globalization. However, the impact of globalization expands further than economic transformation and unification. In the Hispanic country of Mexico, globalization has given rise to maquiladoras. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language defines maquiladoras as, “an assembly plant in Mexico, especially one along the border between the United States and Mexico, to which foreign materials and parts are shipped and from which the finished product is returned to the original market”. The emergence of maquiladoras in Mexico has exposed the country to environmental pollution and a tolerance for the mistreatment of female maquiladora employees.
According to Thomas L. Friedman, the author of The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, the current state of globalization has occurred due to three crucial three eras. The first era is classified as “Globalization 1.0”. It began with the emergence of trade between “the Old World and the New World” marked by Columbus’ exploration in 1492 and lasted until 1800 (Friedman 9). During this period, countries sought to define themselves by the level of manpower and ingenuity they possessed, and how skilled they were at utilizing their resources. The motivating force of globalization among countries was to secure their place in global commerce by finding ways to work with others. This era was significant because countries changed from being self-contained to more
According to Thomas L. Friedman, the author of The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, the current state of globalization has occurred due to three crucial three eras. The first era is classified as “Globalization 1.0”. It began with the emergence of trade between “the Old World and the New World” marked by Columbus’ exploration in 1492 and lasted until 1800 (Friedman 9). During this period, countries sought to define themselves by the level of manpower and ingenuity they possessed, and how skilled they were at utilizing their resources. The motivating force of globalization among countries was to secure their place in global commerce by finding ways to work with others. This era was significant because countries changed from being self-contained to more
Cited: 28.118 (2001): 55-83. Friedman, Thomas L. The World is Flat. New York: Picador, 2007. Gruben, C. William. “Was NAFTA Behind Mexico’s High Maquiladora Growth?” Economic and Financial Review (2001):11-21. Maquila: A Tale of Two Mexicos. Dir. Saul Landau. RKO. 2000. “Maquiladora.” The American The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language