"Politicizing Motherhood" Response

Xiaolan Bao mentions in “Politicizing Motherhood: Chinese Garment Worker’s Campaign for Daycare Centers in New York City, 1977-1982,” that many women worked even if it meant their children were left at home unsupervised or the children had to go to work and suffer dangerous conditions with their mothers. This was surprising at first; however, since most mothers chose one of these options, it became evident that Chinese garment workers had no other options. Working was an economic necessity for most of these women. Although it may seem “liberating” that women were beginning to be accepted into the labor force, women were still required to take care of the children, fulfill all of the household duties, and they were not treated well as employees. Despite these obstacles, one could still argue that the benefits of working outweighed the consequences. The concept of Chinese women working outside of the home in a traditionally male oriented industry was a step towards equalization between people of different race, class, and gender. In fact, children began to respect their mothers more as gender roles were modified. This is an interesting comparison to the Korean military brides who were not respected by their children because they were raised to view their mothers as inferior. Overall, the idea of Chinese women working in the garment industry is significant because women started to have a place in society and not just as the housewife.

On a separate note, the main point of the article is the Chinese garment workers’ struggle for daycare centers. These women turned to The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union for help. While the ILGWU resisted at first, the workers overcame many obstacles and eventually saw some results. Like the article mentions, this may not be the greatest accomplishment of these women, but it was one of the first. The Chinese garment workers found a problem and worked together to obtain a solution. This concept has been carried on today and many women have united to make change happen. Even at Scripps there are many instances of women having their voices heard. For example, Scripps students saved the olive trees when the college wanted to build the Humanities building on top of them. Although the petition for daycare centers may seem small, it triggered many future events. Out of the readings so far, this article may be one of the most empowering of Asian American women. Instead of accepting their fate, the Chinese garment workers fought for their rights.