Maquiladoras Research Paper

589 Words3 Pages

Maquiladoras are industries run by foreign companies. They’re major contributors to the economy of Mexico. Maquiladoras were first introduced in 1965 to help increase exports and help industrialization along the U.S and Mexico border. President Donald Trump wants to build a wall alongside Mexico’s border. This wall goes against the North American Free Trade Agreement as imports and exports between Mexico and America will be affected due to the strict regulations. Maquiladoras are controversial in the U.S because people believe they take away jobs from Americans. Low wages and unsafe working environments cause controversy in Mexico.
Maquiladoras have both positive and negative effects in Mexico. For example, maquiladoras are one of the fastest …show more content…

Women made up the vast majority (80%) of the maquiladora workforce. Women were prefered over men because women received lower wages in developing countries and they often endured more hazardous working conditions than men. A result of unions being forbidden was that most workers couldn’t protest for their rights and higher wages. Women employees privacy were invaded as they were required to take urine tests and asked invasive questions about their sexual history so that employers could deny them jobs.

Around 3000 maquiladoras employ about 17 percent of the Mexican workforce. This makes maquiladoras Mexico’s second-largest source of jobs.
However, the workers are treated poorly as I’ve stated in my recent arguments. Workers were required to work long hours with a wage that could hardly buy 4 litres of milk. Not only that but women were discriminated and abused, physically and emotionally.

In conclusion, maquiladoras have had a negative impact on Mexico’s economy and the workers. Some of these results which may even be seen today. For instance, the environmental damage along the border as a result of maquiladoras. The Rio Grande river is now undrinkable because of the vast amount of pollutants and sewage getting dumped into the water. Even though the Mexican law provides more laws to protect employees, employers still choose to ignore them. Also a significant amount of maquiladoras workers are still facing