Business Process Outsourcing and Gender in the Philippines: Filipina Women at Call Centers

Business Process Outsourcing and Gender in the Philippines households.During the information and communication technology development of the 1980s, American and European companies started outsourcing services to Asian countries, such as call centers and back office operations, which could not produce direct profit.In the 1990s, India became the main provider of information technologies (IT) and BPO for the United States and achieved around 10% economic growth per year, even after the collapse of the IT bubble and the crisis that followed the September 11 attacks of 2001 in the United States.Soon after, the growth of the BPO industry began to filter into the Philippines, suggesting that the Philippines has been incorporated into the NIDL in the service sector.At the same time, the Philippines is famous for its Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).As noted, about 9 million Filipinos are working abroad.Specifically, Filipina migrant workers are working as domestic helpers, caretakers, and nurses in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Middle Eastern countries, and the United States.In April of 2015, the cash remittances from OFW increased by 5.1% from the same month in 2014, reaching 2.0 billion US dollars.This remittance, which accounted for approximately 8.5% of the Philippines' GDP in 2014, is an important source of income for many Filipino families and thus a key driver of private consumption. (2) On the other hand, BPO revenues also increased by19% from 15.5 billion US dollars in 2013 to 18.4 billion dollars in 2014, representing 6% of the Philippines' total economy.Moreover, The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (ITBPAP) stated that this industry is aiming to grow its workforce to 1.2 million in 2015 with jobs increasing to 1.03 million in 2014 from 900,000 in the previous year. (3) These sectors contribute to the economic growth and development of the Philippines.Does this expansion of the labor market encourage Filipina to work in the Philippines, or does working in the BPO sector delay action before going abroad?Or, conversely, is it a career opportunity for women who returned to the Philippines from previous emigrant work?The effect of BPO growth on women, including migrant workers, has been analyzed through direct interviews in this study.Moreover, the change of positioning in families and gender norms is also considered. . Theoretical review of NIDL and BPO studiesOver recent decades, the issue of globalization has generated animated debate and discussion among policymakers, academics, and affected citizens alike.In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2008 and the continuing tepid recovery in the global economy, the topic has acquired a renewed urgency and significance.The offshore migration of jobs to Asian developing countries, first from manufacturing and later from general services, has led to a contentious debate over the costs and benefits of globalization.At the turning point of the global economy, researchers such as Frobel, Heinrichs, and Kreye analyzed this offshore manufacturing since the 1970s, labeling it as the New International Division of Labor (NIDL). ( 4 Moreover, gender researchers such as Maria Mies pointed out that women are recruited through this division of labor system, thereby promoting the feminization of