Better Work Haiti: Women's Economic and Social Upgrading in Haiti's Apparel Value Chains.

Sammanfattning: In Haiti, the apparel industry is considered a key sector for driving economic growth, reducing poverty and improving living conditions through employment. Thereby, participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs) is essential for the country’s development plan. The apparel industry is a significant source of employment and income generation, especially for women. Notwithstanding, women workers are often subjected to gender-based discrimination. Better Work Haiti brings together public, private and social actors into a synergistic form of governance to address these challenges and helps improving working conditions and the overall well-being of men and women workers. This study examines the extent to which Better Work Haiti helps at improving the social and working conditions of women workers in the apparel industry by using a gendered approach to GVCs’ economic and social dimensions of upgrading. The analysis consists of a qualitative content analysis of compliance reports and other documents published by Better Work from 2010 to 2019. The findings indicate that Better Work Haiti has significantly improved the conditions for women working in the apparel value chains. Nonetheless, pervasive gender-based discrimination still constraints women’s opportunities to fully benefit from the programme.