Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/70305

KEYWORDS : Industrialization;feminization of migration;Northeast Asia;agency;mobility;marriage migration;domestic workers;care workers

Rapid industralization, economic growth and urbanization have resulted in an influx of international migrants to East Asia since the 1980s. Since then, there has been a significant increase in the migration of women, which is an illustration of the global trend of feminization of migration. Consequently, the increase of migration (both legal and undocumented) in this region brought about new avenue for exploitation. The objective of the paper is to explore the gender dimension within the dynamics of international marriages and labour migrants in domestic and care work in Northeast Asia, including the factors such as the “agency” vs. “immobility” of these women, the difficulties in mainstreaming, the victimization of these women and make some tentative observations on how cultural and institutional factors determine national policies towards marriage, care and migration. In terms of methodology, the author relies on primary and secondary sources such as government documents, reports by human rights organizations and memoirs as well as personal encounters with these women.