Doctoral Dissertation Research: Working the Night Shift: Women's Employment in the Transnational Call Center Industry

全球主流媒体将海外呼叫中心描述为印度社会变革的催化剂。然而，有限的证据表明，呼叫中心行业有助于印度社会在性别关系方面的巨大转变。夜班工作（为了服务于朝九晚五的美国客户）是这个行业的一个关键要求。然而，夜景主要是男性的专属领域，对女性来说往往代表着危险。在某些情况下，夜间外出的妇女与卖淫或可疑的道德价值观联系在一起。这篇博士论文研究了全球对24小时工作人员的需求是如何重新配置女性的身体、时间、社会和经济流动性的，因为呼叫中心就业的夜班要求。初步调查结果显示，呼叫中心的工作扩大了一些女性的经济机会。与此同时，妇女在夜间外出时继续面临更严格的审查，这反过来影响了她们的流动性和进入公共空间的机会。另一个关键问题是家庭如何应对妇女流动性的变化。通过调查由于呼叫中心就业而被女性占用的各种空间，本研究将阐明性别概念如何被铭写在城市夜景中。根据全球化话语和女权主义地理学，研究问题是：1)全球对夜班工人的需求如何重新编纂女性的身体和时间流动性？时间流动性指的是在夜间和白天外出；2)妇女在家庭和城市公共空间中面临哪些时空障碍和机会？3)呼叫中心就业如何转化为社会和经济的流动性或不流动性？这项研究将在孟买和班加罗尔两个主要城市以及艾哈迈达巴德等较小的城市进行。定性研究方法，如参与观察和结构化/半结构化访谈，并收集媒体报道的行业。媒体对该行业的报道，结合参与者观察和结构化/半结构化访谈，作为揭示呼叫中心就业如何重塑女性生计的基础。客户服务领域国际联系的压倒性增长标志着全球电信和发展的重大转变。它正在改变印度城市的经济。从IBM到达美航空（Delta Airlines）等财富500强公司都依赖呼叫中心，各种数据处理功能（如输入医疗记录和信用卡申请/账单）已转移到印度。美国一家主要航空公司的机密健康和经济数据以及运输信息的离岸维护引发了网络恐怖主义等新的全球安全问题。有机会在印度的呼叫中心进行实地考察，可以加深对这个相对较新的行业的增长和未来方向的了解。通过关注全球对夜班工人的需求，本研究将揭示传统的朝九晚五工作时间之外的就业机会如何重塑女性在家庭和更大社区的生计。同时，本研究将展示流动和进入公共空间的性别规范如何影响发展中国家妇女参与正规经济。这是理解女性如何被纳入塑造全球经济的主导力量（可以说是男性力量）的基础。

Global mainstream media characterizes offshore call centers as catalysts for social change in India. Yet, limited evidence exists of the call center industry contributing to a dramatic transformation of Indian society in terms of gender relations. Working the night shift (in order to service the 9 - 5 timescape of the American customer) is a key requirement of this industry. However, the nightscape is primarily an exclusive male domain that often represents danger for women. In some cases, women who go out at night are associated with prostitution or questionable moral values. This doctoral dissertation study examines how the global demand for 24-hour workers is re-configuring the physical, temporal, social, and economic mobility of women because of the night shift requirement of call center employment. Initial findings have shown that call center employment expands some women's economic opportunities. At the same time, women continue to face higher levels of scrutiny when going out at night and this in turn impacts their mobility and access to public space. Another key concern is how households respond to changes in women's mobility. By investigating the variety of spaces occupied by women as a result of call center employment, this study will articulate how notions of gender are inscribed in the urban nightscape. Drawing from globalization discourse and feminist geography, the research questions are: 1) How does the global demand for night shift workers re-codify women's physical and temporal mobility? Temporal mobility refers to going out during the nighttime versus daytime; 2) What spatial and temporal barriers, as well as opportunities, do women face both in the household and urban public space?; 3) How does call center employment translate into social and economic mobility or immobility? This study will take place in two major cities, Mumbai and Bangalore, as well as smaller cities, such as Ahmadabad. Qualitative research methods, such as participant observation and structured/semi-structured interviews, are used and media accounts of the industry are also collected. The media accounts of the industry, in combination with participant observation and structured/semi-structured interviews, serve as the basis for uncovering how call center employment reshapes women's livelihoods. The overwhelming growth of international linkages in the sphere of customer service marks a significant shift in global telecommunications and development. It is transforming the economy of cities in India. Fortune 500 companies, from IBM to Delta Airlines, are reliant on call centers and various data processing functions such as inputting medical transcripts and credit card applications/billing have been transferred to India. The offshore maintenance of confidential health and economic data along with the transportation information of a major U.S. airline brings forth new global security concerns such as cyber-terrorism. The opportunity to conduct fieldwork in India's call centers allows for an increased understanding of the growth and future direction of this relatively new industry. And by focusing on the global demand for night shift workers, this study will uncover how employment opportunities beyond the traditional 9 - 5 timescape reshape women's livelihoods both in the household and larger community. At the same time, this study will demonstrate how gendered norms of mobility and access to public space impact women's participation in the formal economy of a developing nation. This serves as a foundation for understanding the ways in which women are being integrated into the dominant, and arguably masculine, forces that are shaping the global economy.