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Exploitation and the Decision to Migrate: The Role of Abuse and Unfavorable Working Conditions in Filipina Domestic Workers' Desire to Return Abroad

Author

Listed:
  • Naufal, George S

    (Texas A&M University)

  • Malit Jr., Froilan T.

    (Cornell University)

Abstract

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries host at least 2.4 million foreign domestic workers, who are legally excluded from national labor laws and regulations, thus placing them in precarious social, legal, and economic conditions in the GCC labor markets. Despite the recent growth of academic scholarship on domestic work in the GCC and beyond, little attention has been paid to absconding foreign domestic workers and the complex role abuse plays in determining their future decision to migrate. This paper examines the likelihood that Filipina domestic workers will migrate after absconding from their previous employer. Applying a unique dataset of absconding Filipina domestic workers collected at the Philippine Labor Office (POLO) in Qatar between 2013 - 2015, we find that abuse and poor working conditions do not act as deterrents for future migration. Paradoxically, absconding domestic workers who have been financially abused are more likely to want to return and seek employment abroad. This study offers empirical and theoretical insights into the connection between migrant exploitation and domestic workers' desire to migrate once again.

Suggested Citation

  • Naufal, George S & Malit Jr., Froilan T., 2018. "Exploitation and the Decision to Migrate: The Role of Abuse and Unfavorable Working Conditions in Filipina Domestic Workers' Desire to Return Abroad," IZA Discussion Papers 11677, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp11677
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    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp11677.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gardner, Andrew & Pessoa, Silvia & Harkness, Laura, 2014. "Labour migrants and access to justice in contemporary Qatar," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 60241, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Malit Jr., Froilan T. & Naufal, George S, 2016. "Asymmetric Information under the Kafala Sponsorship System: Impacts on Foreign Domestic Workers' Income and Employment Status in the GCC Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 9941, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Birke Anbesse & Charlotte Hanlon & Atalay Alem & Samuel Packer & Rob Whitley, 2009. "Migration and Mental Health: a Study of Low-Income Ethiopian Women Working in Middle Eastern Countries," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 55(6), pages 557-568, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Asli Kavurmaci, 2022. "Filipino Migrant Women in Domestic Work: A Comparative Evaluation Among Turkiye, East Asian, and Middle Eastern Countries," Journal of Social Policy Conferences, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 0(82), pages 357-382, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    migration; absconding; domestic workers; GCC countries; abuse; mobility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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