Maquiladora
A maquiladora is a factory, the majority of which are located in Mexican border towns, that imports materials and equipment on a duty- and tariff-free basis for assembly or manufacturing. Maquiladoras were often used for the labor of Mexican women. The main use of these assembly plants were to put together imported parts. Since they are mostly women workers, if a woman was to get pregnant, the majority of the time the women worker would be fired. These companies must work under the Maquila Decree, requiring all products to be exported from Mexico. Maquiladoras can be 100% foreign-owned (usually by U.S companies). Using Maquiladoras is an example of transnational operations.The establishment of Maquila Decree was largely due to the end of the U.S. Bracero Program, which allowed Mexican immigrants to find temporary agricultural work in the United States. The end of the Bracero Program increased the unemployment rate in the border region. Mexican officials created the Maquila Decree in order to alleviate this problem.
Working conditions in these factories were very substandard until recently and the average daily wage is about USD $4 or $6. A large proportion of workers are young women, mostly from rural areas to the south.
There are thousands of maquiladoras located along the US/Mexico border in towns and cities like Ciudad Juárez, which has recently become notorious for the serial murders of young female maquiladora workers. Other health and environmental problems have arose from their presence.
See also: Economy of Mexico For further information: Chasteen; Born in Blood and Fire.