Mayra: What is leading these women to migrate in search of work?
After watching this clip of the women in Nepal their lives are a lot harder than I'm sure any of us can imagine simply because we live in one of the richer countries of the world (despite our economic crisis as of now). The cause to why a lot of women from Nepal are migrating to richer countries is simply because they too have families that they have to provide for. Here we have a correlation with the Third World Woman and the Woman of the First World they both are trying to provide for their families whether it is for the basic human necessities or luxuries that women want to provide for their families. So here's a question for you: What are some ways that these women can make living far away from their homes easier?
Mayra: Question # 2 What kind of jobs are they migrating for? The jobs that these migrants are looking for are jobs that most people in foreign countries do not want to do. For example, migrant women from Nepal are looking for those jobs such as house cleaners, nannies, factory workers etc. These jobs are the jobs that the "New Women" do not want to do or simply don't have the time to do. So here's another question: What effects do you think the children of those women who migrate might have when they are older?
According to Koser, women's reputations amongst migrants have increased since the 1960s and now more than half of all migrant workers are women. The causes of this shift are because global demand is more gender selective, more women are able to travel for family reunions, of changes in gender relations and due to the fact that the "Maid Trade", Mail Order Bride, and sex industries are booming. The women that are the most susceptible or vulnerable to exploitation when migrating for work are the poor, uneducated women. An example of this exploitation was that of a 40-year-old mother of two who was waiting on money from her husband who worked abroad in Kuwait, hover no money ever came. She was uneducated and illiterate so when she decided to migrate to the Gulf for work, she was told she had to pay $1000 for travel expenses and then when she got there, after selling off most of her land to pay for the expense, the wages were significantly lower than what she had been told. She barely had enough money for living expenses, let alone enough to send home to her children in hopes of giving them an education. Her employer went out of business, without any severance compensation of any kind, and she was forced to return to Nepal unemployed, broke, and in debt. -Meagan
In Nepal, the men have always been seen as the provider for their family. It has changed over time with women taking part in providing for the family through working. The men have begun to take jobs in the large cities with the intent of sending money back home to take care of their family. While the men are gone, the women are being pushed into the workforce to help raise their family. As a result, the women are being exploited because of their lack of education and severe need of income. The women in Nepal have assumed the primary role of provider given the lack of a male presence.-Matt
These women are sacrificing everything they have in order to provide for their families and it truly is disappointing to learn of the exploitation they are subject to. Although exploitation exists not only in third world countries, it makes it all the more unfortunate because when women like the one in this video sacrifice everything they have, it truly is everything and once the damage is done they are left with nothing. By attempting to take such leaps of faith and migrating to foreign countries where language and culture is a huge barrier, I would argue that these women have a lot more nerve than most. Speaking in general terms, most people are afraid of moving to a neighboring city because their favorite local grocery store won't be as close. These women in Nepal show the characteristics of a leader and one with courage. I think this signifies that in the home, these women sprout hope instead of defeat. I mean, the woman in this video is not in the epitome of her youth and she is still hopeful for a change. At the same time, these high hopes can backfire in the home after her failed attempts creating conflict among the family members and disappointment leading to a never ending cycle of regret. - Lina Norena
These women are sacrificing everything they have in order to provide for their families and it truly is disappointing to learn of the exploitation they are subject to. Although exploitation exists not only in third world countries, it makes it all the more unfortunate because when women like the one in this video sacrifice everything they have, it truly is everything and once the damage is done they are left with nothing. By attempting to take such leaps of faith and migrating to foreign countries where language and culture is a huge barrier, I would argue that these women have a lot more nerve than most. Speaking in general terms, most people are afraid of moving to a neighboring city because their favorite local grocery store won't be as close. These women in Nepal show the characteristics of a leader and one with courage. I think this signifies that in the home, these women sprout hope instead of defeat. I mean, the woman in this video is not in the epitome of her youth and she is still hopeful for a change. At the same time, these high hopes can backfire in the home after her failed attempts creating conflict among the family members and disappointment leading to a never ending cycle of regret. - Lina Norena
Originally I thought I was in group 6 and started answering the questions so hopefully I can have some insight on the posts. It is really sad that most of the women have been abandoned by men that promised to return money to their families and now they have been left with not only caring for the family but providing financial support. Women are having to educate themselves in order to be able to get jobs in the bigger cities. Not only does this better themselves but it will better their culture when they are able to read and write, hopefully passing it on to their children. The video stated that most are illiterate and that is the cause for them being taken advantage of labor wise. For the women that succeeded it is incredible that they were able to learn so quickly what it was like to work and be able to care for the family.
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DeleteTo make life easier for these woman that have to migrate far away from home to take care of their family, they can either look for a job that is near home or maybe work do something they specialize in. Growing up these woman must have learned a trait that people nearby wouldn't know how to do. They could also move their family near where they work so that everyone would be close together and they wouldn't have to really worry about their family's. But some woman might not have that option so the best thing they can do in my eyes would be work hard so that their children won't have to go through the same circumstances. They can give their children a chance to go to school and get an education instead of following in their footsteps.
ReplyDeleteThe children of the migrant woman will mostly follow in the footsteps if they don't get an education and find a way out. Others might now want to live the life their parents live do they work 10x harder while their young so they can escape the hardships that their parents went through. Children always have the option and a better chance to avoid hard low wage jobs because parents usually work hard to keep them out of their position
These women are looking for labor options in order to support and improve the lives of their families. However, due to a surplus workforce within their own countries, these women leave their homes and search for jobs abroad. Rumors have reached these women that the pay in other countries is much more than they could make in their home towns. With these dreams in their heads, they put everything on the line for a job elsewhere. However, when they arrive, they find out the reality; the pay is barely more and they are far from their loved ones. These poor women are exploited over and over again, but there are ways to stop it.
ReplyDeleteMy first suggestion would be to educate these women before they put themselves out there. Their government should let them know that the costs of working abroad are much higher than they pay out of a few more cents. In addition to educating the women, the countries in which these women are going to should put together laws that protect women's rights. While I realize these may be large feats to overcome, if executed properly, they will prove effective.
To make living away form home as easy as possible, these women should probably search for communities that are filled with workers like them. Most likely it will be in very low income neighborhoods, but the social aspect of living close to others who are in the same plight as you may allow connections to foster and improve the welfare within the community. Think about it this way, if you travel to someplace you have never been before would you do it on your own with little to no guidance, or would you rather travel in a group where information no matter how little is shared.
ReplyDeleteThe children of these migrant workers may likely end up like their parents when it comes to monetary problems. They will likely not have the education they need or live in developed enough areas to take jobs that earn regular pay that we might be accustomed to in the United States. This will leave the family in a loop, for since they are stuck in the same situation as their own parents, they will be unable to reach a higher state of living, means if they have children themselves, they will also be unable to move into a higher standard of living.