Migration in Asia

Question 1

What are the 2 increasing migratory patterns in Asia?

Answer 1

1. Temporary Labour Migration

2. The Feminization of migration

Question 2

What are two aspects inherent in the feminization of migration?

Answer 2

1. gendered labour division

2. marriage migraiton

Question 3

What are characteristics of labour division in the middle east?

Answer 3

• rising oil prices = demand for low skilled workers
• men are given manual labour, women come later with domestic duties
• bilateral agreement (low skilled contract labour)
  The gulf war - decrease in the number of labour migrants

Question 4

What is the feminization of migration?

Answer 4

• A decrease in the number of male jobs and an increase in female-dominated jobs (primarily in the service sector)

Question 5

What risks to women face?

Answer 5

• Women migrants are highly vulnerable to exploitation and sexual abuse (e.g., migrant domestic workers)

Question 6

Why are women more vulnerable?

Answer 6

3 forms of vulnerability, intertwined

1. Economic vulnerability
   - Has do do with bonded labour
   - Many lowly skilled workers will be in debt when they are recruited by host country
   - Temporary, and circular migration
2. Political
   - They have temporary status, so they can’t form union, little bargaining power
   - NGO often get involved in the rights of temporary migrant workers
3. Social
   - Racial discrimination
   - Outsiders in host country

Question 7

What are the reasons for restrictive immigration policies

Answer 7

Immigration is not good/desirable for the nation-state
- political ideology/preference
- population control
~temporary migration preferred
- Difficulty of receiving citizenship (naturalization)
- Maintaining ethnic and cultural homogeneity

Question 8

Japan Case Study: Aging population

Answer 8

Experiencing population aging
One of the highest life expectancies in the world
Old age dependancy ratio – how can they sustain the large proportion of elderly population

Question 9

Japan Case Study: Temporary workers

Answer 9

Demographic factor,
After WW2 a lot of koreans were immigrant workers in Japan
Many of them decided to stay in Japan, but they were not granted citizenship, even after generations they weren’t naturalized

Question 10

Japan Case Study: homogeneity

Answer 10

By blood, one of your parents has to be Japanese
Because the working population is shrinking, there is a demand for some jobs
But after they are recruited there is social and political tension that comes afterwards

Question 11

Marriage Migration in Asia-Pacific

Answer 11

• Pressures on men to carry on the paternal lineage

- Sex-selective abortion: deficit in female birth/imbalance sex ratio (son-preference)

Question 12

What are the results of sex-selective abortions

Answer 12

• ‘Marriage squeeze’ (marriage market)– because of the female deficit, men are having trouble finding mates
• Men seeking wives abroad (low socio-economic status, rural regions), Foreign brides (marriage migration)

Question 13

Who marries who?

Answer 13

Women from Vietnam and Indonesia, marry more economically stable guys from Taiwan and South Korea

Question 14

What level of analysis is marriage migration?

Answer 14

Migration network theory (meso level)

-chain migration (family + community)

Question 15

What is the dual objective of marriage migration?

Answer 15

• to marry and migrate for a better livelihood (“kill two birds with one stone”)
  ~Foreign brides expected to fulfill the traditional gender role (traditional housewife, elderly caregiver)

Question 16

What are some of the dangers of marriage migration?

Answer 16

• Some women then become victims of human trafficking, confusing matchmaking organizations with the sex trade

Question 17

What are some of the other impacts of marriage migration?

Answer 17

• Maintaining population growth in the rural areas
• Integration problems of migrant women (language barrier, differences in culture, diet)
• Domestic violence, employment for foreign spouses