Abstract EN:

The aim of the work is to analyze two relationships :1) the link between the structural transformation of the economy and the massive recruitment of women into industrial occupations ; and 2) the relation between this fact and the rise of official public action and rhetoric on the one hand and scholarly inquiry on the other. An analysis of studies of women as a work force and of the policy and discourse of international organizations (io's) regarding the role of women in the industrialization of less developed countries (ldc's) is proposed. Three case studies: the united states at the beginning of the 19th century; South Korea and Malaysia in the 1970s. In the two Asian cases, the analyses and recommendations of the io's form the global context. Against this background, the actual policies regarding women's work in industry of these countries are considered in the context of overall development theory-planning and practice. In this way, one can better appreciate the interaction and relative influence of outside general ideas and inside specific particularities. This comparative analysis brings out the common characteristics of the process in the three countries studied, in such aspects as sources of recruitment, modes of organization, terms and modalities of hire, etc. In the light of this empirical evidence, the thesis concludes with a critical appreciation of existing theories concerning women's work and women workers.