Dr. Gisela Notz Women's Work under the Conditions of Globalisation Globalisation is a colourful and ambiguous term. The catchword globalisation is an invention of American Business schools. It suggests that only those companies preparing themselves in good time and without any reservations will be able to survive(cf. Krätke 1997). Accordingly, the sole ones having a chance of survival are those who become global players, expanding their activities on a global scale, instead of re­stricting themselves to safeguarding local as­sets. Globalisation means the expansion of the neo-liberal market economy to the very last cor­ners of our planet(Wichterich 1998). In Ger­many, the term globalisation has been used mainly since reunification. The phenomenon that describes globalisation is, however, much older. Internationalisation has existed since the beginning of the Industrial Age. But now, the process is promoted and accelerated by the rapid development of information technologies. Globalisation does not only refer to the eco­nomic dimension, but also to communication technologies, ecology, organisation of work, culture and the civil society. There is little con­sent about the assessment of globalisation. Most discussions and publications ignore the gender­specific aspects of these global transformation processes. However, when taken into considera­tion, it is argued whether women can"profit" from the economic and technological structural changes taking place due to globalisation, or whether new forms of social and gender-specific inequality will arise, pushing women- and in­creasingly men- off into the group of the "working poor", without any social security (Young 1998, p. 169). Daily, we hear news about imminent redundan­cies, transfers of factories, cutbacks or closures of undertakings or establishments, cuts in so­cial benefits, growing national debt, increasing unemployment rates, lack of international com­petitiveness, decrease in exports, destruction of nature, devaluation of qualification potential; about ruined careers and hurt people. Globalisa­tion and the question of industrial location seem to justify any measure of flexibilisation and wage restraint. The influence of trade unions on society is to be undermined, the competition and loss of solidarity among workers to be stirred up. It is estimated that in the future, 20% of the population capable of working will suffice to produce the world's demand of vital goods in globally active companies. Time and again, politicians point out the opportunities the inter­national division of labour offers. It is barely taken up as an issue that these opportunities are distributed most unequally between the differ­ent countries and the sexes. Globalisation from a female point of view Politicians and scientists stress the opportunities of an international division of labour, in order to increase the prosperity of nations and of indi­viduals(Lafontaine 1997, p. 20). Are, however, opportunities distributed equally along gender lines? In the industrialised countries, the process of globalisation bears a different impact on women than on men. Nevertheless, they are not affected as a group, but in different ways according to their class and ethnicity. More women than men belong to temporary staff, and more men than women to skeleton staff. Those, who drop out 5