#1 Archives | Factories from Singapore to Seoul

From Singapore to Seoul, how have women's movements partnered with workers' movements to push for reforms in wage gaps, workplace safety, and public health? This talk, delivered by award-winning historian Professor Ali H. Akhtar (Bates College, former visiting faculty at Ewha Women's University in Seoul), offers an overview of women's participation in workers movements across the Asia-Pacific region. Topics include Malaysian urbanization and the move of women farmers to factories after the 1960s, the rise of Singapore's airline industry and the long-term job prospects of the so-called "Singapore girls" (women among the cabin crew), the legacy of Mahathir Mohamad and Lee Kuan Yew in Malaysia and Singapore, the work of Dr. Chizuko Ueno and other Japanese anthropologists on the connection of wage gaps with wider wealth gaps in large economies, and the debate about the term "feminism" within Asian women's movements.

Show Notes

"Women for Workers' Rights" is a lecture series that investigates how women reformers from Singapore to Seoul have partnered with workers' movements to improve labor conditions and advocate for labor reform. Politicians, policymakers, businesses, and labor unions are interested in this history because it tells the story of public-private partnerships that have sought to make economic development more efficient while improving public health and the sustainability of cities and industries. This lecture, delivered by Professor Ali H. Akhtar of Bates College and NYU (BA Cornell University, MA/PhD New York University), is the first of the series.

Professor Ali H. Akhtar, the host, is an award-winning global historian who writes on topics ranging from women’s movements across Asia to challenges in international development and the silk routes. These lectures are intended for audiences across industries to develop an understanding of key issues in the worlds of policy, sociology, political science, and culture. Lectures are organized by series like a class.

What is Women in Tech across Asia with Professor Ali Akhtar?

"Women in Tech across Asia" is an international development podcast that explores Asia's economic development since the 1950s. The show's episodes focus on what economists call the Asian Tigers and "Tiger Cubs," from Singapore to South Korea. With an emphasis on both high-tech and low-tech industries, the show tells the story of how women reformers have partnered with both workers' movements and governments since the 1950s to catalyze Asia's economic miracle. Politicians, policymakers, businesses, and economists in international development are interested in this history because it offers lessons about the catalysts and obstacles of economic growth all around the world.