Social Influences and Costs of Working Abroad Among Female Overseas Filipino Workers

Abstract

People migrate to take advantage of opportunities available in other countries or communities. Social, economic and political structures present in the environment contribute to the decision of each individual to migrate to other destinations. The natural flow is for people of developing countries to migrate to the industrial and developed countries in order to take advantage of income gaps brought about by the rapid economic growth of these industrialized and developed countries. It was estimated that from 1995 — 2000, the more developed regions of the world received nearly 12 million migrants from the less developed regions (UN, 2002). As the world becomes highly globalized, and with the developing countries having cheap labor as their comparative advantage, the pressure to migrate has become stronger. Initially, it was the male population which was recruited for jobs abroad. Soon, it was the women’s turn to migrate for jobs abroad for employment purposes. They were hired as medical personnel, maintenance workers, entertainers and domestic helpers. In the last 30 years, most female migrants come from the Philippines, Indonesia and Sn Lanka. The participation of women in migration has raised both prospects and pains. On one hand, it has an empowering effect as the economic contribution of women become visible as they enter the ranks of waged and salaried workers. On the other hand, problems with working conditions and other related social effects of spending longer periods away from home emerged as a consequence of migration. Working as a domestic helper seemed to be the easiest ticket to secure an employment abroad for the Filipino women. Despite the grim news, threats of danger, and stories of abuse experienced by other Filipinos as reported by the media, still the deployment of workers to other countries is still high. “Filipino women ranked among the most mobile migratory in Asia” (Asis, 1995). To date, Hong Kong is the largest employer of Filipino domestic helpers in Asia (POEA, 2003). However, it seems that Filipino migrant workers, currently receive little or no protection at all from the Philippine government. The general objective of the study is to determine the extent of social costs and effects among overseas Filipino workers particularly women migrant workers and their families. It explores current situations of Filipino migrant workers particularly those working in Hong Kong. It also aims to present various coping mechanisms, which might mitigate the negative effects of working abroad. The study provides knowledge and opens various options to individuals, families, government and other social institutions, that could help alleviate and otherwise mitigate the current conditions and negative effects of migration of Filipino domestic helpers to other countries. Due to the limited time available for making the research, the scope of the paper was limited only to forty-seven (47) Filipino female respondents currently serving their contracts as domestic helpers in Hong Kong. To gather the needed data, the survey method was used. The questionnaire is composed of five sections: (1) Socio-Demographic profile, (2) Family background, (3) Employment background, (4) Family Issues and (5) Employer-employee relationship. The female respondents were purposively selected during the researcher’s visit in Hong Kong last September 2003. In this purposive study, qualitative and quantitative designs were used in describing the social influences and costs among overseas Filipino female workers. The data were processed using frequency and percentage and presented in tables and graphs. The responses of the respondents of the study revealed various reasons why they left the country. The major motivation why the Filipino respondents migrate abroad or work abroad is to receive higher salary. Another reason is the absence of job opportunities here in the Philippines. Others wanted to gain experience of working abroad while some respondents use this as a stepping-stone to go to Canada, America and Europe. Still, others were able to work abroad because relatives, who are also working abroad, sponsored them. Results show that there are social costs to the individual, to her family and also to the society. To the individual, they experienced various forms of abuse such as physical, verbal, emotional and sexual exploitation. There was a case of one being into drugs and other forms of vices. To the family, labor migration causes a reversal of role for the husband and the wife in terms of child rearing and household management. To the children, there were cases where children got married early, their studies were affected, while other cases involved getting into vices such as smoking and drinking. The study also shows that respondents used the following methods of coping to various forms of abuses, which range from (1) remaining silent, (2) crying, (3) calling friends, and (4) praying to God. In the light of the above, it is recommended that a more concerted effort be exerted by both the government and private sectors in assisting and improving the situation of migrant workers. The government should continue to regulate and monitor overseas employers and recruiters to ensure that the OFWs are not taken advantage of. Assistance to OFWs should also extend through the Philippine embassies abroad. Crisis centers and assistance desks should be established in all embassies abroad and these should be made known to all OFWs. Primary to this, is the provision of legal assistance to all OFWs. The government could also provide the necessary support systems to family members left behind by the OFWs. Efforts should be exerted for family members of OFWs to organize themselves to provide venue for sharing experiences and fostering positive values among them. Government should also strive for the creation of jobs and opportunities to improve the economic well-being of the people especially the women workers so there would never be a need for them to migrate and work abroad. Local and international NGOs could also come up with programs for OFWs encouraging them to either join or form support groups aimed at (1) easing emotional and psychological burdens of being away from their families, (2) providing recreation facilities and other wholesome leisure alternatives, (3) drafting and lobbying for policies and laws that would further protect OFWs against all forms of discrimination and abuses and strengthen their negotiating powers vis - a - vis their employers and recruiters. A more concerted international action should be initiated by the member states of the United Nations with the objective of coming up with specific measures on (1) the regulation of recruitment agencies; (2) provision of legal, social and education outreach to migrant women; (3) training of embassy personnel; (4) better enforcement of local laws; and (5) involvement of trade unions.