Maquilarañas
The hardworking women within the maquiladora industry.
In the mid-late 90s, I was an Engineering student in my hometown in northwestern Mexico. During those days, while waiting for a teacher to start some class, a few of my male classmates began to talk about some women they called “Maquilarañas”.
I had never heard such a term before. I didn’t quite grasp what the term implied. As my classmates continued to talk, I realized they were referring to factory-working women. From what I could gather, my classmates stated that factory-working women were low-educated, flirtatious, and easy to get. For the way they were talking, it seemed they had known a few. And they were making fun of them, as they used to make fun of anything.
At the time, I didn’t know what to think of their conversation. Until then, I had never met a factory-working woman.
I don’t know when or how the term “Maquilaraña” was coined. It must have been one of those things some wannabe comedian came up with. Some people must have laughed and started to use the term regularly.
“Maquilaraña” is a compound term: “Maquila” and “araña”. Both words come from the Spanish language. Maquila is a diminutive form of Maquiladora(Factory). Araña means spider. In some places in Mexico, the word spider is sometimes used to refer to a woman who could be considered easy to get, promiscuous or even a prostitute. In general, the term is quite pejorative.
A few years after finishing Engineering school, I acquired a job in a factory. My work at the company wasn’t the one of a traditional factory-working woman. Being a formally educated woman, I got to work in an Engineering position. And I wasn’t the only one. Other formally educated women had positions in departments such as Human Resources, QA, Production, etc.
It was then that I met hundreds of factory-working women. It was then I realized the harsh realities these women have to endure. These go beyond what the term “Maquilaraña” implies and what society thinks of these women.
The vast majority of factory-working women are poor. Because of this, access to education is not possible for most of these women. Most times, they prioritize the education of their children. This way, their children could have better opportunities to leave poverty behind.
On the other hand, the income these women acquire working at those factories can mean different things for each one of them:
- For single women without children, their income implies having their own money. Some of them try to continue their education in nocturnal schools. Factory work takes most of the day. Education because of lack of time isn’t possible for most factory workers.
- For single mothers, the income implies having a way to pay for their children’s financial support and putting food on their tables.
- For married women, the income is a secondary money entry into their families. The main money entry inside their families will be the one of their husbands, which most likely would be a higher salary than theirs.
- For some divorced/separated women, their income means the difference between living or not with an abusive partner. Their income, without mattering how low it can be, is a form of independence, freedom, and empowerment. It could be a way to free themselves from an abusive relationship.
Beyond the reasons factory-working women have to work at maquiladora factories, other situations could happen around them and other female employees.
Female workers who are considered beautiful could become the target of some men in positions of power. These fellows could offer anything in exchange for the time and sexual favors of these women. Some of these fellows have wives and families waiting for them at home. Still, these men are looking for a time of leisure and an exercise of power.
The women who don’t accept the approaches of these men become targets of harassment, or eventually, they could get fired. Their option is to resign. However, these women may not be able to quit immediately. As the job market is always compromised, these women may need to wait for a better position at another company.
The very few women who accept the proposals of these men do it for either of four reasons:
- They fall in love with these men. The prospects of love, implying a life of peace and warmth, can be tempting.
- They could lose their low-income jobs. These women feel coerced into something they don’t want. Most factory workers usually live from day to day. They don’t have savings or any financial backup. If they lose their job, they lose the ability to put food on their tables.
- They are interested in finding a male partner among the higher-position workers. Some of these women are willing to give their bodies or anything they can to get a male partner whose social status is better than theirs. These women are interested in finding a way out of poverty and, possibly, a way out of violence/addiction-oriented family homes. These women are the lesser trend. These women could get ostracized by other factory-working women.
- They are interested in the prospect of advancement in terms of career. Some of these women can become part of the abusive system inside factories. The abusive behaviors inside these facilities don’t come only from some men in positions of power. Some women in positions of power allow many forms of abuse to happen. These women are also part of the lesser trend.
People could say these women should denounce some of these behaviors. However, there is no way of denouncing any of these approaches or other types of abuse inside these factories or outside with the local authorities, at least not in Mexico, Latin America, or some other underdeveloped country.
Inside most factories, there is a system of exploitation and abuse. The main priority is to assemble the precious products of whatever brands and companies buy those manufacturing services. The factory workers, male or female, are disposable and seen as cattle.
Suppose those workers want to denounce inappropriate behaviors or irregularities through the Human Resources department. In that case, it is very likely the one in charge says something like: “I cannot believe what you are saying! He/She is such a wonderful person! You must be mistaken” or any variation of those phrases. The company will protect these abusive people and their systems.
If these workers want to denounce outside the factory with the local authorities, they can’t. Many of these companies bribe the local conciliation and arbitration boards that should protect workers’ rights.
The last resort these workers have is to hire a lawyer. No one in the position of these workers will hire a lawyer. It is virtually impossible to make a living on minimum wage in Mexico and possibly the world. So, hiring the services of a lawyer is completely out of their reach.
And, yes, everybody inside those factories knows, from the one who sweeps the floor to any department manager. And no one says or does anything to denounce these creeps. Why? Because every single person working in those factories is only an employee who has financial commitments in their personal lives. One way or the other, they could all lose their jobs. None of those people are rich or well-off enough or heroic enough to protest injustice and leave and maybe help a victim of harassment.
Finally…
In 2007, I left the maquiladora industry behind. The plan was never to come back or even look back. My work at the company was interesting and challenging. Factory work has its perks. I had the opportunity to learn things I never imagined I would. However, the working environment was very toxic. I had to invest precious time dodging politics and overrated people.
So, once I left, I didn’t think much of the maquiladora industry or the people working in these factories. I became busy taking care of my health and forging myself a career in software development.
A few years ago, I thought of starting a software development blog. I began to list ideas for possible articles. Then, other topics and ideas came to my mind. These had nothing to do with software development.
I remembered that ancient conversation about the “Maquilarañas” my former classmates were talking about. Then, I remembered my personal experiences with these factory-working women. I felt compelled to write about them. It became the first blog article I ever wrote. However, I didn’t finish it.
The draft version of this article stayed there for years, stored in a Google document waiting for completion. At some point, I thought of deleting it. After all, this wasn’t related to software development. Still, I didn’t. I felt the need to keep it.
Deleting this article was like removing this passage from my life. Deleting it was like deleting these factory-working women. Deleting what they taught me about the misconceptions society makes of them. Deleting the harsh realities some people endure to survive while trying to make an honest living.
Over the years, I reviewed this article, adding and removing content. It is time to publish it. I have nothing else to add.
