Social inequalities in global value chains: an intersectional perspective on social reproduction

The article focuses on the significance of social inequality for the dynamics of global production. Despite a broad feminist debate on the role of gender relations in global value chains since the 1970s, this dimension has systematically been excluded in the mainstream theory development. The present contribution sharpens the focus on social inequality in transnational production networks by, on the one hand, illuminating the interdependence of paid and unpaid as well as formal and informal work, which is always gendered. On the other hand, the significance of private households for the appropriation of hidden surplus by (transnational) companies is addressed, thus illuminating the connection between the productive and reproductive spheres. Accumulation in global value chains is based on the exploitation of different dimensions of inequality such as gender, ethnicity/race, class/caste, age or region. An intersectional perspective on inequality is therefore indispensable for understanding the complex power relations and for developing appropriate countermeasures.