Women As Migrant Workers Analysis

Women under the Spotlight Women as Migrant Workers
Criticisms against quantitative analyses have accentuated the lack of agency given to migrants by reducing women as numerical values. To remedy this, studies have incorporated stories from migrant women. The results portray a paradox; on the one hand, participation in the labor market has become liberalizing for female workers. Increased employment prospects (from unpaid work) became a source of personal development and empowerment (Asis, Hoang, and Yeoh 2004; Gamburd 2000; Hoang and Yeoh 2011; Kifleyesus 2012; Oishi 2005; Parrado and Flippen 2005; Pessar and Mahler 2003; Pingol 2001; Piper 2008). Parrado and Flippen (2005) note that migrant women have higher self-esteem, increased decision-making
Outside financial needs, several perceive migration as an opportunity for escape. (Gamburd 2000; Oishi 2005; Parreñas 2003; Pingol 2001). Unfaithfulness and total abandon of husbands often encourage women to migrate. A more common case for escape can be found in instances of domestic violence. While men and women have become susceptible to this form of abuse, Chant and Mcllwaine (1995) justify that there are greater cases of male-inflicted violence in the Philippines. With a cultural distaste for and state-enforced constraints on legal separation, women solely consider migration as the only way to be
Common solutions involve (1) inciting greater participation through unions and (2) cooperative efforts from NGOs and (3) policy reforms (Pan and Yang 2012). Causes, however, greatly vary. Lack of protection is rooted in little to no support from state instruments. Support, as Pan and Yang (2012) argue, is the stark contrast between policies and implementation. For illegal migrants, the threat of deportation induces workers to avoid approaching governmental bodies altogether (Pan and Yang 2012; Ullah 2015). As international migrants, many are limited by their own languages, thereby giving them little access to services and reducing available avenues in seeking reparation (Pan and Yang 2012). Additionally, Ullah (2015) identifies two important points: (1) speaking up about sexual violence is halted due to its association with shame in society and (2) the normalization of abuse among victims. The last two causes, as will be discussed in the succeeding sections, are by-products of power assertions stimulated by hierarchical differences – whether such tiers are characterized by class, gender, race, and