Leslie Doyle

Leslie Doyle '01 Explores Women's Roles in Mexican MaquiladorasThe Lafayette Experience : Leslie Doyle '01 Explores Women's Roles in Mexican Maquiladoras

The Lafayette Experience : Leslie Doyle '01 Explores Women's Roles in Mexican Maquiladoras.

EASTON , Pa. ( http : //www.lafayette.edu/ ) -- For her honors thesis in international economics and commerce , Leslie Doyle of Brewster , Mass. , a graduate of Nauset Regional High School , is researching the maquiladora industry in Mexico along the border of the United States.In particular , Doyle is investigating why women endure harsh working conditions and low wages , seemingly without protest.

My thesis focuses on why Mexican women are not speaking out , protesting , or , especially , joining unions , says Doyle.A maquiladora is a factory or workshop , owned by a foreign company , which employs low-cost local labor to assemble goods from imported components and exports the completed products to the company's country of origin.

The great majority of maquiladora workers in Latin America are women , and in some areas children are also employed.Most of the plants are not unionized.In 1990s several maquiladoras in Mexico , Honduras , and the Dominican Republic were criticized for substandard working conditions , excessively long workweeks , and environmental pollution.

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I felt that focusing on the women in maquiladoras would build on my interest in international trade and developing economies and illuminates women's economic roles , Doyle says.

Doyle's thesis addresses women's lack of involvement in unions.She lists some possible reasons for the apathy as fear of job loss , lack of education or information , and the feeling that maquiladora jobs are the best jobs workers will get.

In addition she is delving deeper into economic theory to arrive at her conclusions , explains her adviser , Mary P. Beckman , associate professor of economics and business.

Leslie is researching the Mexican labor movement , Mexican labor law , and several theories , including Marxist , institutionalist , neo-classical , and labor relations theories , to find an economic explanation for women's reactions to maquiladora jobs , Beckman says.
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Leslie is a very good researcher on a very difficult subject..

It's demanding but rewarding , Doyle says.I feel this thesis has helped me discover the influential role of politics in countries such as Mexico.It also shows how economic theory may help to explain women's changing responsibilities and actions within the economy..

The thesis will have direct implications on her future career , hopes Doyle , who is minoring in Latin American and Caribbean studies.

I hope to pursue a career in international investments and banking , focusing on developing countries , such as those in Latin America , she says.
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Doyle is a member of Sigma Delta Pi , the national collegiate Hispanic honor society.She volunteers her time working with the Spanish Club for Kids , one of more than 25 programs of sustained voluntary service that Lafayette students conduct annually under the auspices of the College's Landis Community Outreach Center.In Spanish Club , Lafayette students work after school with third graders at nearby Cheston Elementary School , teaching them the basics of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.

She's a member of the Lafayette Student Investment Club , which manages a portfolio of investments currently valued at $420 , 000.

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