Filipina women’s resilience and survival strategies in the global economy: Focusing on Japan–Philippines relations since the 1970s

Abstract

This article considers two cases of the interaction of Filipina women with Japan. The first section explains foreign direct investment has brought young Filipina women to work for wages in export processing zones. Despite the long working hours, their wages were suppressed to the minimum wage level, which did not allow them to be economically independent. So, they actively participated in illegal union activities to improve their working conditions. Japanese civil society as an international solidarity movement also supported their resistance. This was one of the triggers that made Japan reluctant to invest in the Philippines, but it also led to an increase in Filipina women’s migrants. The second section discusses Japan’s acceptance of Filipina women not as formal workers but as entertainers or “rural brides” to make up for the lack of wives among rural men. Japan tried to use Filipina women for its own convenience. Working abroad has various risks. Even if married officially, divorce and DV are not uncommon due to differences in values and language barriers with Japanese husbands. These Filipina women responded to various difficulties by forming Philippine networks in Japan, which collaborate with Japanese NGOs and people.