Domestic Employment Research Articles

“But on Sunday, They Are Free”

This article examines the site of the home in Baby Ruth Villarama's 2016 documentary Sunday Beauty Queen to better understand how tomboy migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong mess up and queer domesticity. By focusing on the appearances in the film of the home of Leo Selomenio, a tomboy Filipino migrant domestic helper and organizer of Sunday beauty pageants, the author explores alternative modes of care performed by tomboys that refuse respectability politics as they operate within transnational migrant labor structures. Despite the regulatory and confining modes of racialized and gendered care that structure global care work, Selomenio reconfigures and reshapes his home to operate as a site of refuge, an archive, a gathering space, and a site of resistance. Engaging in what the author terms “tomboy domesticity,” Selomenio utilizes his control over home space and time as a result of his exemption from the live-in requirement of his work to ensure collective survival in the face of labor precarity. Selomenio's performance of care ethics that refuse the state's neglect of domestic helpers articulates tomboy and diasporic Filipino life as valuable outside of its capacity to labor.

두뇌 유입(Brain Gain) 관점에서 외국인 유학생의 국내 고용 활성화를 위한 IPA 분석 : 정부출연연구기관 이공계 석·박사과정을 중심으로

With Korea's total fertility rate recorded at 0.72 in 2023, there is even a pessimistic prospect that it will become the 'first country to extinguish the population'. In the face of serious demographic challenges such as a population decline, regions disappear, and a lack of high-quality human resources in the industry due to a rapid decline in the fertility rate, the Korean government and each local government are pouring out various policies to alleviate these problems by utilizing the capabilities of international students. This study analyzed the importance of domestic employment promotion activities and differences in the degree of implementation of the employment support system for international students studying as master's and doctoral students at government-funded research institutes using the importance-performance analysis(IPA) methodology. As a result of the analysis, 'recommendation of supervisors' and 'industrial cooperation projects' were evaluated as the most important employment promotion activities, and in the employment support system, 'flexible visa system' and 'simplification of immigration procedures' for researchers were recognized as important. In addition, it was found that there is a difference in perception between the importance and performance of international students depending on the region of residence and country of origin, so a strategy for promoting employment tailored to the region of residence and country of origin is necessary. This study is limited to international students in science and engineering who are enrolled in U graduate university, so there is a limit to the generalization of research results. In future research, extended research is needed including international students from science and technology specialized universities and base national universities. In addition, it is proposed to expand the study on how the expectations and demands of the employment support system of international students differ according to the cultural context by comprehensively considering the country and cultural background and economic conditions that affect the employment activation of international students.

Деформації інституту соціального діалогу в Україні як чинник суспільної десолідаризації

It is shown that the effect of solidarity significantly enhances the mobilization potential of society, being applied at all levels of social organization, including the family, territorial community, and the business environment. The authors emphasize that the new social reality in Ukraine, which is being formed in the context of a full-scale Russian invasion, as well as the risk of loss of state integrity and statehood as such, determines the need to lay the basic principles of solidarity based on the coherence of actions of all subjects of social organization in the basis of the ideology of national state-building. The authors reveal the social phenomenon of solidarization as a result of reaching joint agreements and making consolidated decisions on the formation and implementation of the State socio-economic policy, which allowed establishing its close connection with the process of social dialogue. The relevance of the societal dimension of the functioning of the national system of tripartite social partnership in the context of military shocks is substantiated. Within the framework of institutional and comparative methodology, the modern role of tripartite social partnership and the impact of the institution of social dialogue in Ukraine on the processes of its social solidarity in the (pre)war period are revealed. It is proved that social dialogue plays a leading role in addressing issues related to achieving the criteria of decent work, ensuring social guarantees, promoting international labour standards, regulating non-standard forms of employment, ensuring equality in the field of labour, as well as digital and "green" transitions. It is established that the imbalance of interests of the parties to social dialogue in Ukraine is characterized by insufficient protection and lack of guarantees of decent work for employees, on the one hand, and the unmet needs of Ukrainian business for qualified and highly productive labour, on the other. It is emphasized that one of the consequences of this imbalance is the desolidating phenomenon of labour poverty. The authors identify and statistically substantiate the main deformations of the institution of social dialogue in Ukraine, which were formed in the pre-war period. On the basis of specific examples from the period of martial law in Ukraine, the contribution to social solidarity of domestic employers' associations and trade unions is shown. Considering social dialogue as an institutional component of the social contract, the article establishes that the deformed system of social dialogue in Ukraine causes the erosion of its social contract – the framework for solidarity of citizens. It is shown that maintaining a high level of solidarity among the population of Ukraine is important in the context of its official status as an EU candidate country in June 2022. The article summarizes recommendations for solving the problems of social dialogue in Ukraine in the post-war period of reconstructive recovery of the Ukrainian economy, based on modern international approaches and practices. The authors propose relevant directions for the development of tripartite social partnership, taking into account current trends in the digitalization of the economy and society, as well as the spread of new non-standard forms of employment, including platform employment.

Understanding the Cultural Politics Experience of Indonesian Male Domestic Helpers in Malaysia

This research explores the cultural-politics dynamics of Indonesian male domestic workers in Malaysia as they confront and challenge societal prejudices while taking on fatherhood-associated responsibilities. It delves into the obstacles these men face due to ingrained gender stereotypes that question their suitability for domestic roles, particularly in a foreign cultural context. The primary objective is to understand how these men redefine their identities and assert their roles as nurturers and providers, challenging traditional masculine ideals. This study uses a qualitative research design and a narrativization approach to explore the experiences of Indonesian male domestic helpers. Through in-depth interviews and personal narratives, the research reveals how these men navigate their roles as caregivers and fathers, challenging traditional gender norms and gaining recognition within their households and communities. The study also highlights the importance of upholding cultural ties and personal resilience in their experiences as migrant domestic workers.

Portuguese Textiles and Apparel Industry: Assessing the Effect of International Trade on Employment and Green Employment

This study examines the impact of international trade activities on employment in the Portuguese textiles and apparel industry from 2010 to 2017. It finds evidence that imports and exports have a persistent, negative, and significant effect on overall job creation, with this impact intensifying over the long-run. Additionally, the increasing elasticity of substitution between imports and exports indicates that private companies of this industry have benefited from a win–win situation characterised by higher production volumes and lower marginal costs. By applying an unsupervised machine-learning method, followed by a discrete choice analysis to infer the firm-level propensity to possess green capital, we identify a phenomenon termed the green international trade paradox. This study also reveals that international trade activities positively influence green job creation in firms lacking green capital if and only if these players are engaged in international markets while negatively affecting firms already endowed with green technologies. As such, empirical results suggest that the export-oriented economic model followed over the last decade by the Portuguese textiles and apparel industry has not necessarily generated new domestic employment opportunities but has significantly altered the magnitude and profile of skill requirements that employers seek to identify in new workforce hires.

Recognition and Foreign Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong: The Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) as a Support System

Recognition and Foreign Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong: The Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) as a Support System

Understanding export-generated employment in India

International trade can play a catalytic role in economic development and employment enhancement. To understand the employment impact of India’s pattern of trade, we use a structural decomposition analysis utilising the World Input – Output Database. Distinguishing between final and intermediate exports from India, we quantify the domestic employment effect during 2000–14. We show that a shift in final exports’ composition towards sectors and sub-sectors with lower employment generation potential led to a negative employment effect. However, changes in international production sharing have largely had a positive impact on employment in India. Our structural decomposition analysis is complemented with a panel regression that tracks the employment effect of exports through backward linkages. We find significant differential impacts in India’s bilateral trade with middle-income versus high-income countries. While bilateral backward linkages from exports to middle-income countries enhanced employment in India, exports to high-income countries did not yield a positive employment effect.

The Critical Discourse Analysis of Domestic Helper Abuse Case by Different News and Social Media Platforms A Case Study of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih

The paper discusses the unfair treatment of Indonesian domestic worker (DHs) based on a case study of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih using a critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach. Both official statements and unofficial comments are thoroughly analyzed to demonstrate the media's hidden power in influencing public opinion. We identify polarity in attitude (positive and negative) towards the case in NGOs (non-governmental organization) and comments from social media and Hong Kong forums. NGO are essential in raising awareness about the discrimination and racism faced by domestic helpers and in shaping public opinion to support more inclusive policies for immigrants. Conversely, discussions on social media and Hong Kong forums show that opinions on Erwiana's case were not unanimous. Some comments even displayed racial discrimination. However, these descriptions and labels of foreign domestic helpers can be seen as objective statements or based on life experiences. Commenters are unaware of the stereotypes and discrimination against East Asian women that are concealed within the racial ideology of Hongkongers.

Inverted Odysseys: Adventure and homecoming in the global subrogation of women’s care work in Jose Y. Dalisay’s Soledad’s Sister

Many Filipina care workers are subrogated to the position of mothers in the more affluent states of Asia. As a consequence, they oftentimes play as the unofficial teachers of the children. In this article, I analyse the process of global subrogation, which often end in what I call an inverted odyssey of the Filipina domestic helper. Using the concept of invertedness in commodity fetishism, this article reads Jose Dalisay’s Soledad’s Sister as an inverted odyssey which views the migration of Filipina care workers as an adventure but without the heroic homecoming. The novel represents the adventure as a dialectic of systems of carelessness and selfcare that is symbolically resolved within the narrative through the recurring image of the ‘woman in the box’. Thus, the article argues that unlike Odysseus’ triumphant nostos (homecoming), the heroine of this inverted odyssey falls victim to her own erotic drives, drowns in a far-flung kingdom, returns home in a box, and drowns again in the hands of thieves. The novel weaves a counter-narrative on the Filipina care worker that challenges prevailing Philippine state discourses on its overseas work force, thereby problematizing both the limitations of the heroine’s selfcare and the systemic carelessness of the states that make the subrogation possible. Ultimately, the inverted Odyssey as symbolized by the novel’s central image of ‘the woman in the box’ shatters appearances and unveils the tragic position of the unrecognized ‘teachers’ in the global feminization and commodification of care work.

Nationalism in Family Businesses: Privileging Domestic Employees Under Foreign Employees’ Radar?

Nationalism in Family Businesses: Privileging Domestic Employees Under Foreign Employees’ Radar?

Carnival for one day: how holiday leisure contributes to an intersectional ‘we’

ABSTRACT Foreign domestic helpers’ leisure experiences on holidays are attracting growing attention in academia. However, little research has examined how leisure practices contribute to the evolution of social identities from an intersectional perspective. Adopting an ethnographic method, this study explores this topic through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and secondary data analysis. Findings centre around a trio of relational themes – seeking a sense of belonging, self-categorizing, and self-representing – that reveal how holiday leisure practices inform foreign domestic helpers’ identification of themselves and others in Hong Kong. A comprehensive understanding of marginalised groups’ travel choices and experiences is provided along with a glimpse into potential extensions of social identity and self-representation. Practical implications for the government and destination managers are also offered.

Investigating the impact of digital health technology adoption on female physicians’ work–life balance in Bahrain

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of digital health technology adoption on female physicians’ work–life balance (WLB) in Bahrain. This study also examines the impact of two moderating variables: career stage, based on the kaleidoscope career model (KCM) and the presence of domestic workers, based on Becker’s theory of the allocation of time. Design/methodology/approach An electronic quantitative survey was administered to female physicians working in Bahrain. The survey gathered data on various aspects of digital health technology, WLB and demographic characteristics such as age and the presence of domestic workers. From a target population of approximately 1,000 female physicians in Bahrain, 102 participated in the survey. Findings The authors found that the effect of digital health technologies on WLB is positive in general and specifically for the early-career stage; however, it harms WLB in the middle and late-career stages. This is consistent with KCM predictions. In addition, there is no moderating effect of having domestic helpers. Originality/value This paper contributes to the theoretical understanding of the effect of technology on WLB by expanding the traditional model (KCM) to include an economic model of how female physicians allocate their time between work and home responsibilities, including the effect that a domestic worker can have on this allocation. Beyond these theoretical contributions, this paper is also the first to study technology and WLB in the health sector in Bahrain following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Positive Aspects of Caregiving in Familial Care for Nonagenarians and Centenarians: Findings from Hong Kong Centenarian Study.

Caregiving for the fast-growing but vulnerable oldest-old population may involve distinct challenges but also gratification. We analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from family caregivers of community-dwelling older adults aged 95 or above in Hong Kong. Quantitative analysis of 143 caregivers revealed that higher age, dependence on basic activities of daily living, independence on instrumental activities of daily living, and intact hearing ability of the older adults, and absence of a domestic helper and better self-rated health of the caregivers were associated with more positive aspects of caregiving. Qualitative analysis of the 96 caregivers who mentioned at least a positive aspect from their caregiving identified three themes: acquiring caregiving skills, fulfilling family love and obligation, and preparing for graceful aging. Our findings elaborated the nature and mechanism of caregiving gains against the unique backdrop of exceptional longevity and the Chinese cultural expectations of filial piety.

The South Korean chaebol and myths of green growth: Coloniality and Argentinian lithium production

Observers have celebrated the drive by multinational corporations to develop lithium-ion batteries as a positive step in mitigating climate change. Much of this hype, however, has resulted from corporate leaders propagating green growth narratives that trumpet the capacity of electric cars to initiate an energy transition. Against this backdrop, the paper describes and analyzes significant contradictions of green growth. The South Korean (hereafter, Korea) ‘chaebol’ (enormous, family-owned conglomerates) have deployed green growth myths to build global value chains that transform lithium into batteries that can electrify transportation. I will show how these growth strategies simultaneously produce domestic inequality in Korea and colonial inequities in Argentina, where a large proportion of the world's reserves of lithium lie. Since the 1990s, the chaebol have developed new strategies of accumulation based on a shift toward building global value chains and away from domestic economic growth and expanding employment. The growing electric vehicle industry represents a continuation of these corporate strategies, directing investments to flow abroad in ways that contract domestic employment. These technological innovations require lithium, prompting the chaebols to move decisively to establish control over a significant share of lithium production in Argentina. In seeking to create new pools of value within the much-hyped green transition, these activities have inflicted significant environmental degradation. Moreover, the coloniality of corporate relations with local labor dramatizes how the green transition promised by electric vehicles unevenly distributes the risks and benefits between those parts of the world producing green energy and the industrialized countries consuming it.

Exploring Professional Challenges and Impact of Government Efforts on Addressing Issues Faced by Domestic Helpers in Noida.

Exploring Professional Challenges and Impact of Government Efforts on Addressing Issues Faced by Domestic Helpers in Noida.

Grandparents' and domestic helpers' childcare support: Implications for well‐being in Asian families

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate whether childcare support from grandparents and domestic helpers is associated with family well‐being in Singapore, with a focus on parent and child psychological well‐being as well as the quality of interactions and relationships within the family.BackgroundResearch on the implications of childcare support from maternal grandparents, paternal grandparents, and domestic helpers for family well‐being remains a gap in the literature. This involvement could enhance family well‐being through instrumental assistance and emotional encouragement in childcare. However, it could also create a negative emotional climate for families if the relationship of the mother with the grandparents or domestic helper is marked by conflict.MethodThis study used questionnaire data from 615 mother–child dyads from the birth cohort, Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes. The exposure variable was children's caregiving arrangements assessed at child ages 4.5 and 6 years, and the outcome variables were maternal well‐being, maternal parenting, and family functioning measured at concurrent assessments, and child well‐being assessed at age 10 years.ResultsChildcare support from maternal grandparents, but not from paternal grandparents or domestic helpers, showed concurrent associations with warmer parenting by mothers at child ages 4.5 and 6 years. Early childcare support from domestic helpers at child age 6 years predicted higher depressive symptoms in children at age 10 years.ConclusionOur findings suggest that childcare support from maternal grandparents, who are most likely to share a close bond and value system with mothers, could be most beneficial for families in Singapore.

INDONESIAN MIGRANT WORKERS (IMW) AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING: PERSPECTIVES FROM ISLAMIC AND HUMAN RIGHTS STANDPOINTS

Indonesian migrant workers (IMW) serve as a stark representation of female poverty in Indonesia. Despite the constitutional guarantees outlined in Article 27 of the 1945 Constitution, which ensure employment opportunities both domestically and internationally, many IMW find themselves ensnared in the web of human trafficking. This article delves into this pressing issue through the dual lenses of Islamic teachings and human rights principles. Employing a normative legal research methodology with a statutory approach, a comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate the regulatory frameworks concerning IMW and human trafficking. Both Islam and human rights frameworks underscore the gravity of human trafficking, emphasizing the government's duty to prioritize domestic employment opportunities for women to safeguard their livelihoods. The eradication of human trafficking hinges on four key pillars: prevention, prosecution, protection, and partnership. Enhanced efforts are imperative to create suitable employment opportunities for IMW, particularly women, aligning with Islamic teachings and upholding global and national human rights standards for women's protection.

Survey and Research on Enhancing the Employment Competitiveness of College Students

According to the previous announcement of the Ministry of Education, the number of college graduates in 2022 will again reach a record, 1.67 million more than in 2021. In that year's government worked report. "Employment" was mentioned 31 times. Whether college students have employed ability, is a major factor affecting employment. This study analyzes how to improve the employed ability of college students. First, the data are obtained in the form of questionnaires and interviews, and then the questionnaire results are statistically analyzed using chi-square test modeling method and the analytic hierarchy process. Finally, the employment model provides an important theoretical basis for the cultivation of college students' employed ability. A total of 102 questionnaires were collected. Conduct independent sample t-test to evaluate the relevance of the survey results. If p<0.05, the consequences are considered to be strongly correlated. Test analysis results in the questionnaire to ascertain the authenticity of the statistical results. According to the statistical analysis of the questionnaire, We can draw the following conclusions: many people have different choices, They have their own advantages and disadvantages, no matter whether they are seeking employment or upgrading their education, The specific effects vary from person to person. Upgrading their education can improve their competitiveness, but they may also miss the domestic employment environment. Employment may not satisfy themselves due to salary and other reasons. To sum up, we should continue to enhance and solve the employment problem of the future.

Social Support, Resilience, and Mental Health Among Three High-Risk Groups in Hong Kong: A Mediation Analysis.

To compare the prevalence of anxiety/depression, resilience, and social support among nurses, foreign domestic helpers (FDHs), and residents living in subdivided units (SDUs), and to examine their associations in these high-risk groups in Hong Kong during Omicron waves. We recruited 1,014 nurses, 621 FDHs, and 651 SDU residents from December 2021 to May 2022 in this cross-sectional survey. The depression, anxiety, social support, and resilience levels were measured by the validated scales. The multivariate binary logistic regression and causal mediation analysis were applied to examine the associations. We observed a prevalence of 17.7% in anxiety and 21.6% in depression which were the highest in SDU residents, followed by FDHs, and lowest in nurses. Social support was associated with increased resilience levels and decreased risks of anxiety/depression. The association of social support with mental disorders was partly mediated by resilience, accounting for 30.9% and 20.9% of the total effect of social support on anxiety and depression, respectively. Public health strategies should target improving social support and providing resilience-promoting interventions to help reduce mental disorders in vulnerable groups.

An Exploratory Study on Experiences of Work-Life Balance of Female Teacher in Private University

This basic aim of this study to explore the experiences on work life balance of female teachers who are currently serving at private university. The study used the convenience sampling techniques and semi structure interview conducted from 11 participants. For the analysis of interview data thematic analysis used for this study with the help of Nvivo 11 plus. Based on thematic analysis six themes emerged; Understanding of work life balance, Demands, Social support on WLB, Challenges of WLB, Consequences of WLB and Coping up Strategies and Techniques of WLB. The results indicates that female teacher has understanding of work life balance as division of time and resources among the home and work responsibilities. Working women plays multiple role as mothers and family roles therefore they face conflicts of roles. They face different challenges reported in this study include parenting, marital, emergencies and lack of family support. They discussed different coping up strategies in this study includes early planning, effective time management, hiring domestic helpers and giving up the personal life to attain WLB. The participant of the study also highlighted the consequences of WLB.