Editorial introduction: Contesting social policies from the margins: Cases from Japan and Korea

Remittance, labor migration and the significance of the female role in the process of labor migration have recently become entrenched in many developing countries, such as Indonesia. The influential role these female migrant workers play in supporting their own families and in their self-fulfillment is of significance and worthy of being fully expounded and discussed. As breadwinners, these female migrant workers strive to pursue higher education by working their way through college. Qualitative in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to obtain five Indonesian female migrant workers' opinion and experiences about their experience of being a worker and a student in Taiwan. The data in this study were analyzed and evaluated with thematic analysis. This study describes the factors which cause the Indonesian female workers to become migrant workers in Taiwan. This includes getting high-paid jobs, shouldering the responsibility for supporting their own families, and pursuing self-fulfillment overseas. Besides, this study has investigated the difficulties and challenges that female Indonesian migrant workers had encountered while working and studying at the same time. On the whole, as caregivers, most of them often fail to have a flexible schedule to study due to the temporary jobs assigned by their employers. Also, some employers are unwilling to allow them to pursue higher education for feat that they would not concentrate on their own work. Above all, it is these female migrant workers that can define what their lives truly mean as migrant workers on their own, and that can align their talents and ambitions with their pursuits of higher education. This study provides a new exploration of how the female migrant workers’ gained a sense of self-fulfillment by pursuing higher education with working and studying at the same time. Facing a variety of challenges and hindrances, their persistence and perseverance can be further examined for those who are interested in studying this field deeper.
 
 Keywords: Female migrant workers, higher education, Indonesian migrant workers, labor migration, remittance
 
 Cite as: Bali, S., Liu, M. C., & Lin, H. H. (2019). Pursuing higher education careers and the process of migration among Indonesian female migrant workers in Taiwan. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 302-317. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp302-317

BackgroundRural-to-urban female migrant workers have a lower quality of life compared to the general population. Improving these conditions remains highly challenging. This paper reports the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the female migrant workers in an educational project.MethodsIn this before-and-after study, a community-based health education intervention was developed to improve female migrant workers’ HRQoL and job satisfaction. A factory was selected as the location to implement the trial, using a before-and-after design. The education intervention included distribution and free access to study materials, monthly lectures, and counseling. The primary endpoint was HRQoL, and gynecological disease and job satisfaction were secondary endpoints. We assessed HRQoL at baseline and at 6-month follow-up using the Health Survey Short Form (SF-36).ResultsCompared to the baseline assessment, the participants at the 6-month survey reported higher General Health scores (standardized-β coefficients (Betas) of β = 0.056; P <0.001), Vitality scores (β = 0.066; P <0.001), Mental Health scores (β = 0.062; P <0.001), mental component summary scores (β = 0.040; P <0.001), and job satisfaction (Odds Ratio [OR] 2.104, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.837-2.408; P <0.01).ConclusionsA community-based educational intervention, targeted at female migrant workers, appears effective in improving HRQoL and job satisfaction.

<div> <em>This study on the Economic and Social Remittance Utilization Among Migrant Workers At Village Penggalang and Welahan Wetan, District Adipala, Regency of Cilacap, yet maximize the utilization of optimal economic remittances in improving the welfare of the family after returning to their hometown. The existence of a patriarchal system and stigma about migrant workers women as rural women, primary school graduates and former Housemaid, which further weaken their position in the family structure and society. During this time, the process of international migration female migrant workers do not just talk the problem over the issue of migration remittance economy and its impact on development that they forget aspects more substantial, namely social remittances. In this case, the process of international migration that they receive in the form of economic and social remittances can be a means not only to empower themselves by raising social position in the family and society and can also empowering environment. The problem is how to position himself (female migrant workers) post back to the area of origin of the family and community structures. As well as how to use the remittance economy and sosialdiperoleh women migrant workers in order to improve the welfare of the family after returning to their home areas. Therefore, this study aims to position the female migrant workers after returning to the area of origin of the structure of families and communities through the use of economic and social remittances obtained, as well as to analyze and apply the theory / concept of anthropology.</em> <em>The method used in this study is a qualitative ethnographic method with techniques of data collection is done by in-depth interviews, observation and documentation study participation to all informants related to the utilization of remittances in the economic and social Penggalang and Welahan Wetan village, District Adipala, Regency of Cilacap.</em> <em>Results showed that the remittances of economic and social obtained the female migrant workers Village Penggalang and Welahan Wetan, District Adipala, Regency of Cilacap be used optimally so that women migrant workers and their families become more empowered again, which is influenced by several factors, namely 1) female migrant workers destination country; 2) the experience gained from the country of destination; 3) the role of Lakpesdam NU Cilacap along with Tifa Foundation and BNP2TKI, The Empowerment of Women Migrant Workers and Their Families in the Place of Origin with funding JSDF World Bank as well as all relevant stakeholders both government and non-government at national and local level by involving through support to development of Community-Based</em> <em>Organization (CBO) as one of the pillars of the protection of migrant workers in the area of origin. And the involvement of relevant agencies in protecting migrant workers, especially women in Cilacap, the formulation of the Regional Regulation Cilacap District No. 7 of 2014 on the Protection of Indonesian Workers Cilacap and Regent Decree Cilacap No. 465.2 / 138/29 / Year 2013 regarding the Establishment Group Family Development Workers Indonesia working in Cilacap.</em> </div>

Seroprevalence of rubella in female migrant factory workers in Shenzhen, China

Premarital sex is one of the issues that female migrant workers currently face in Vietnam. This increases the risk of sexual and reproductive health issues among this vulnerable group. The article's goal is to comprehend and explain the attitude of female migrant workers regarding premarital sex while also analyzing the factors that influence their attitudes toward this issue. The theories of social control and migration are the foundation for this objective. The combined approach used in this paper collected quantitative data from 420 female migrant workers and qualitative data from seven female migrant workers who participated in in-depth interviews. According to research findings, female migrant workers are considerably more agreeable to premarital sex if both are voluntary, but they do not feel ready to discuss premarital sex with those around them. The level of education and length of residence in Binh Duong are factors that affect how female migrant workers feel about the premarital sex concern. In order to enhance their autonomy and reduce risky sexual behaviors, we can thus propose that female migrant workers, especially those with a residence length of more than five years, should have greater reproductive health capacity, including reproductive health knowledge and skills.

Female migrant workers have made a significant contribution to the rapid development of China, but they are marginalized in the current social structure. This research was conducted to investigate the identity construction of female migrant workers in online groups. Virtual ethnography was the primary method used to study two online groups for nine months. Castells’s categorization of identity was adopted to examine the identity construction process. Our thematic analysis revealed three underlying mechanisms of identity construction among female migrant workers: sharing experiences to break the silence; the leading role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs); and setting boundaries to indicate identity. The results showed that although the female migrant workers internalized their legitimizing identity as a “machine,” they constructed themselves as united resistant female workers who opposed suppression, and they desired to project the identity of “decent workers.” Our findings suggest that dominant institutions should consider female migrant workers’ gender issues and work closely with NGOs to help them obtain their desired identity and social equality in urban settings.

At Present cannot be denied that at this time women who work outside the home have reached their peak with the discovery of promising employment fields from an economic perspective, namely as Women Migrant Workers Overseas. As happened in Wates sub-district, the reasons for women or wives choosing to work as women migrant workers abroad are from an economic background that is still not fulfilled, the high level of daily needs, education costs and children's health, while the income of their husbands which is still very low. Becoming Women Migrant Workers Overseas is considered as the answer to get a better economic status. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the social behavior and images exhibited by female migrant workers from Taiwan and Hong Kong after retiring and returning to their place of origin, and to describe and analyze internal and external factors that encourage social behavior exhibited by female migrant workers from Taiwan and Hong Kong after retiring and returning to their home regions. To uncover this reality, qualitative research methods are used where the data obtained is processed by organizing and sorting data into patterns or categories and describing basic units so that they are more readable and interpretable. Based on the facts and phenomena obtained in the field, the results of the study are as follows: First, Female Migrant Workers from Taiwan and Hong Kong after retirement and returning to their area of origin become more consumptive due to different expectations and realities after following lifestyle trends by no longer basing on the value of the goods they consume. Second, the Changing Behavior of Social Life of Migrant Workers Women from Taiwan and Hong Kong after retiring and returning to their hometown due to environmental factors, adaptation to the work environment, length of service and lack of communication. Third, the Community Perception of the Success of Women Migrant Workers from Taiwan and Hong Kong after retiring and returning to their hometowns is a hegemony that makes the Migrant Workers follow that perception. Internal and external factors that encourage social behavior exhibited by female migrant workers from Taiwan and Hong Kong after retiring and returning to their home areas internally include: motivation of women migrant workers working abroad to fulfill their needs, following in the footsteps of successful female migrant workers previously and the lack of employment opportunities in the country, and the perception of being a female migrant worker abroad brought changes in the economic upturn and appreciation from the community. External factors include, reference groups originating from female migrant worker friends tend to be influenced by technological advances and Western style, improving family life and encouraging other family members to become successful female migrant workers is the goal of women becoming female migrant workers abroad, working in Foreign Affairs is considered to be able to improve social class and dignity of self and their families better. From these findings, a Major Proposition for Changing Social Behavior of Former Women Workers can be drawn from a change in consumption behavior that tends not to base the value of the goods consumed and social life behavior caused by environmental factors, adaptation to the work environment, length of work and rarely communicate.

This article inquires the individual and collective agency of female migrant domestic workers in Spain. I use fieldwork conducted between 2013 and 2023 to examine the interplay between the migrant workers’ individual coping strategies, the claims-making strategies of the domestic workers’ trade union Sindihogar, and the structures they operate within and attempt to challenge. Drawing on contemporary research about precarious workers’ movements, I aim to explore to what extent this social movement union has the potential to reduce the power of structural constraints and increase the power of agency. Implicit is a broader, more provocative question: To what extent is substantial change possible within the current political-economic order, here defined as late neoliberalism? I found that while the movement’s community-building approach may empower activists at an individual level, there are significant structural barriers to its potential to accomplish change in terms of better job conditions for this highly precarious workforce. In addition, I suggest that an increasing focus on precarious workers’ “resilience” risks undermining narratives of structural transformation.

This cross-sectional survey study is a pioneering attempt to investigate the generational differences in the work values, perceived job rewards, and job satisfaction of Chinese female migrant workers. The study targeted two toy factories in the Guangdong Province of China and recruited a total of 1,307 female workers as participants. Among them were 577 female migrant workers who comprised the target group for this research. The authors hypothesized that the younger generation of female migrant workers would have higher levels of cognitive work values (such as self-enhancement and career development) but lower levels of perceived job rewards and job satisfaction than those of the older generation. The results indicate that there are no generational differences in work values among the three birth cohorts of Chinese female migrant workers. The older generation felt more satisfied with the job rewards that they received, and their sense of job satisfaction was higher than that of the younger generation. Furthermore, the findings showed a substantial positive influence of perceived social job rewards (such as support from co-workers and supervisors) on job satisfaction among the younger generation. The current findings suggest that in China, generational differences in work are affected by both the generation factor and the rural–urban stratification factor. The authors hope that the study will provide a knowledge base for understanding the perceptions of Chinese female migrant workers toward work and for exploring the ways in which new policies and social services can be developed in order to address their needs.

This study examines the entrepreneurial empowerment strategy of former female migrant workers who are members of the Village community concerned with Migrant Workers. After returning from work abroad, former female migrant workers again experienced an economic downturn, making it difficult to meet basic family needs. This study aims to determine the economic conditions of former female migrant workers after returning, strategies for fulfilling post-return life needs, and entrepreneurial empowerment strategies carried out by various institutions.&#x0D; This research approach uses a descriptive qualitative approach. Data collection techniques using observation techniques, in-depth interview techniques, and library studies and documentation. Taking informants is done by using informant techniques aimed at. Data analysis used the Miles and Huberman analysis model which consisted of data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing.&#x0D; The results showed that the entrepreneurial empowerment process of former female migrant workers was carried out because there were indications of weakening economic conditions after stopping work abroad. The goal of empowering former migrant workers is to alleviate economic weakness because it is seen that it still has the potential to be able to regain power in meeting economic needs. The empowerment process carried out by cross institutions is well integrated, where each institution coordinates with each other to complement each other's empowerment programs. The synergy of entrepreneurial empowerment carried out on former female migrant workers in Kebumen District has resulted in improved capabilities such as operating business activities, completing business licenses, increasing production capacity, expanding market reach, networking with other communities, increasing turnover and profits, and continuously being encouraged to develop.Keywords: Empowerment, Former Female Migrant Workers, Entrepreneurship

&lt;p&gt;In Indonesia, female migrant domestic workers’ representations tend to contain negative meanings. Although they are named as “heroes of development”, but their position is nothing more than a commodity for the country. Such treatment makes female migrant domestic workers becomes vulnerable to violence and exploitation by employers, agents, andgovernment staff. Nevertheless, there is an alternative narrative that is rarely highlighted in literature or media, namely the representation of female migrant domestic workers as powerful actors. This paper seeks to fill in that alternative narrative by highlighting the agencies did by these six female migrant domestic workers. The author believes that by using the standpoint feminism perspective to analyze the struggle of these six female migrant domestic workers in empowering themselves after the oppression, it can be seen that agency has been manifested by female migrant domestic workers during the migration process. This study reveals the efforts of female migrant domestic workers to manifest their empowerment through migration decisions in the middle of patriarchal structures, their ability to resist structures with activism, and become agents of development and change for their communities.&lt;/p&gt;

Most studies on inter-state migrant workers in Kerala focus on male migrants arriving in the state. Kerala began to receive migrant workers in 1950. There has been a significant shift in it since 1990. From the 1960s to the 1990s, migrant workers came to Kerala from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. During those times, women came to Kerala along with men. After the 1990s, migration from Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, and Haryana gained momentum. Many women have moved to Kerala since 2000, as opposed to male migrants from 1990 to 2000. Many human rights issues face migrant women in Kerala, including their workplaces, lifestyles, job searches, and travel. The consequences of not getting significant health interventions and being harassed at work are not well known in society. A study of migrant women begins in the public space, where they are not considered citizens but as objects of utility. My research revealed 516,000 migrant women in Kerala, based on a government document obtained through RTI. There are 25000 female migrant workers among them. It is estimated that around 34 lakh migrant workers work in Kerala, according to the Kerala Planning Board's 2021 report. Out of that, 20% of women work in many workplaces and enterprises in Kerala. According to surveys and a government assessment, Kerala's Ernakulam district has the highest concentration of migrant women workers. The female migrant workers in the Perumbavoor one of the cities of the Ernakulam district are the subject of this study. Female workers who work in plywood, bricks, baji, tailoring, pan shops, plastic manufacturing, textile manufacturing, and other industrial units are the subject of this study. Female migrant workers are personally met and interviewed during fieldwork to obtain data. For this study, qualitative ethnographic research methodology is employed. The findings of this study suggest the government's policy-making for social welfare, social security, job security, the prevention of sexual violence, and making sure that female migrants in Kerala receive equal pay for equal work. This study is being conducted with the human rights of women migrant workers in Kerala foremost in mind. Information is being directly collected from migrant women workers, labour department health department government representatives, trade union members, NGO representatives, etc.

Depression is a common mental disorder that significantly contributes to the global burden of disease. Studies have consistently reported that migrant workers experience higher levels of depressive symptoms, especially women. This study aimed to examine the mediation role of sexual self-efficacy on the relationship between psychological wellbeing, and depressive symptoms among young female migrant workers in Vietnam's industrial zones. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1061 female migrant workers aged 18 to 29 from January to November 2020 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Anonymous interview questionnaires were used to collect data on demographic characteristics, psychosocial wellbeing (PWB), sexual self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms. Mediation analysis was conducted to explore the mediation effect of sexual self-efficacy on the relationship between PWB and depressive symptoms. Nearly 8% of the female migrant workers reported experiencing depressive symptoms. The final mediation model showed that the effect of overall psychological wellbeing on depressive symptoms was partially mediated by sexual self-efficacy. Specifically, 4.1% of the effect of overall PWB on depressive symptoms was mediated through sexual self-efficacy. In the PWB subdimension analyses, sexual self-efficacy mediated 14.3% of the effect of personal growth, 8.8% of the effect of purpose in life, 8.0% of the effect of autonomy, and 7.8% of the effect of environmental mastery on depressive symptoms, respectively. The study findings demonstrate that sexual self-efficacy plays an important role in the relationship between psychosocial wellbeing and depressive symptoms among female migrant workers in industrial zones in Vietnam. Improving psychosocial wellbeing and promoting sexual health including sexual self-efficacy should be prioritized when addressing depressive symptoms and mental health concerns among industrial zone female migrant workers in Vietnam, which may also be applicable in other low- and middle-income countries with similar socio-cultural settings.

The utilization of health services is critical to effectively relieving and curing psychological distress, however, there is a paucity of research on it compared with psychological health among rural to urban female migrant workers (FMWs). To explore the correlation between personal characteristics and health service utilization (HSU) among FMWs in urban China, a logistic regression model was employed to inspect the association of these predictors, socio-demographic, economic characteristics and the HSU of the sampled FMWS, with psychological health of the surveyed FMWs, 781 of cases. It found that the odds of FMWs to utilize vaccination services, reproductive health services, psychological health counseling, safety of food and pharmaceuticals were more than 1 times greater respectively, but the odds to utilize health lectures and health examinations, prevention and cure of occupational diseases were both less than 1 times. However, HSU didn't have statistical significant difference on psychological health status of FMWs. It suggests that policy makers and services providers should take economic and cultural actions to raise FMWs' awareness in seeking health services.

This study examines the experiences of female migrant workers through the lens of social justice, analyzing the systemic barriers that hinder their inclusion and equitable treatment in global labor markets. These workers are disproportionately concentrated in low-wage, insecure, and informal employment sectors, where they face intersecting challenges such as gender discrimination, economic exploitation, racial inequality, and limited access to labor rights. These structural injustices not only marginalize female migrant workers but also perpetuate cycles of exclusion and inequality. Adopting an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach, this article emphasizes the need to expand social justice frameworks beyond economic redistribution to incorporate cultural recognition and political inclusion. It argues that addressing these multidimensional inequalities requires targeted policy interventions and inclusive labor systems that reflect the lived realities of migrant women. By integrating global and local perspectives, the study highlights the importance of fostering equitable opportunities and strengthening protections for female migrant workers, and challenging broader societal hierarchies that reinforce exclusion. Ultimately, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on migration and social justice by offering actionable insights into the structural reforms needed to empower female migrant workers and reduce global inequalities. The findings advocate for a comprehensive approach that prioritizes human rights, promotes fairness and dignity, and dismantles the systemic injustices that continue to place this group at risk of exclusion.