The World Economy

by Pearl Sensenig

Is an inexpensive dress a good thing? Five years ago, before going to the Philippines as a Mennonite Central Committee volunteer, Cheri Peele would have said yes. Now she would ask a few more questions.

In 1993, Peele went to Olongapo to work with women involved in the sex trade that had catered to US servicemen in the Philippines. But Peele found that although the US bases are now closed, the world economy is creating new hardships for the women. The former US base near Olongapo is now a "special economic and free-port zone" that offers tax breaks to entice foreign companies to locate here and manufacture everything from shoes to telephone parts.

From 1991 to 1995, Buklod, the organization with which Peele worked, offered sewing classes to prepare former bar women for the new jobs that would come to the area. More than 80 women attended three-month classes in basic sewing. However, the women trained by Buklod had difficulty getting hired. When they applied for jobs, they discovered that factory owners preferred younger women whom they viewed as more dexterous and easier to exploit.

Peele did a feasibility study to see if Buklod could help the women set up their own factory. She discovered that if the women were to buy cheap cloth from China to sew into simple dresses to sell locally, they might have a viable business.

"It's mind-boggling," comments Peele. "The manufacturing process has many steps, yet I found if you pay minimum wage at only one step, as we would to the Buklod seamstresses, you will face stiff competition because so few factories pay minimum wage to any of their workers."

This experience has changed Peele's outlook on shopping here at home. "Before, when I went to the mall and saw something on sale, I'd think, `Great! I can save money.' Now, when I see something that seems too cheap, I feel torn about buying it. If I look at the tag, I'm sure to see it's made in the country with the current worst labour practices. (The location keeps changing because companies shift their factories to wherever they can earn the most profit.) I know when I buy, I'm supporting these practices and contributing to lost jobs here at home."

Pearl Sensenig works for MCC Communications in Akron. Pa.

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