Gender and International Labor Standards in the World Economy

Abstract

This paper examines the debate on labor standards between neoclassicals and institutionalists from a feminist perspective and elaborates on some key elements of a feminist approach to labor standards. It argues that both neoclassical and institutionalists share a gender-based definition of labor. Rejecting the notion that upward harmonization can be achieved by reliance on deregulated markets or labor standard regulation alone, the feminist perspective calls for new approaches to policy and politics.