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Worker, helper, auntie, maid? : Working conditions and attitudes experienced by migrant domestic workers in Thailand and Malaysia

Worker, helper, auntie, maid? : Working conditions and attitudes experienced by migrant domestic workers in Thailand and Malaysia

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by IDWFED published Dec 13, 2016 12:00 AM
Contributors: Bridget Anderson/ILO
The study provides important insights on domestic workers’ perceived role as both family members and workers, and how this affects everything from working hours to wages, freedom of movement and association, and access to social protection. The report concludes with recommendations for policy makers, employers, civil society and the media on how they can contribute to improving the situation of migrant domestic workers in Thailand and Malaysia.

Resource Type

Research reports, working paper

Details

Domestic workers, the vast majority of whom are women and girls, make a critical contribution to societies and economies across the world. Still, domestic work is typically not regarded as work and is often excluded from full protection under labour legislation and social security provisions.

It is usually carried out for private households, often without clear terms of employment, leaving workers vulnerable to abuse. Furthermore, domestic work is increasingly done by migrant workers, who may be further disadvantaged by restrictive migration laws and difficult recruitment, emigration and admission procedures. While existing research has focused on the extent of legal protection and employment conditions of migrant domestic workers, research on attitudes and behaviours towards domestic workers is in its nascence.

To obtain more knowledge on the link between attitudes – of both employers and the public – and the working conditions experienced by migrant domestic workers, the ILO and UN Women partnered with the University of Oxford Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) to carry out innovative research in Thailand and Malaysia.

The study provides important insights on domestic workers’ perceived role as both family members and workers, and how this affects everything from working hours to wages, freedom of movement and association, and access to social protection. The report concludes with recommendations for policy makers, employers, civil society and the media on how they can contribute to improving the situation of migrant domestic workers in Thailand and Malaysia.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and acronyms
Executive summary  
1. Introduction 1.1   Introducing the study
1.2   Defining terms: What is domestic work? 1.2.1 Social reproduction
1.2.2 Gendered social relations
1.2.3 Social status
1.2.4 Skills
1.2.5 Social identities and market segmentation
1.3   The international legislative framework
1.4   Domestic work and migration
1.5   A note on recruitment agencies
2.      Methodology 2.1   Research questions
2.2   Data collection techniques
2.3   Research sample 2.3.1 Research sites
2.3.2 Domestic workers
2.3.3 Employers
2.3.4 Media
2.4   Research ethics
2.5   Data analysis 2.5.1 Survey and interview data
2.5.2 Quantitative and qualitative press analysis
2.6   Research terminology
2.7   Research limitations and challenges
3. Regional context 3.1   Thailand 3.1.1 Labour migration in Thailand
3.1.2 Labour law and social security protections in Thailand
3.2   Malaysia 3.2.1 Labour migration in Malaysia
3.2.2 Labour law and social security protections in Malaysia
3.3   Conclusion
4. Attitudes to migration and demand for domestic workers in Thailand and Malaysia 4.1   Press coverage and public attitudes to migration in Thailand and Malaysia 4.1.1 Salience of migrant workers, 1999–2014
4.1.2 Portrayals of migrant workers: Modifiers, 1999–2014
4.1.3 Changes in key portrayals over time, 1999–2014
4.1.4 Qualitative findings – Malaysia 
4.1.5 Qualitative findings – Thailand 
4.1.6 Conclusions
4.2   Employers’ responses to press coverage 4.2.1 Understanding demand for migrant domestic workers in Thailand
4.2.2 Understanding demand for migrant domestic workers in Malaysia
4.2.3 Conclusion
5.    Employment relations: Contract and fictive kin 5.1   Fictive kin: Just like one of the family?
5.2   Between fictive kin and contrac
5.3   The written contract
5.4   Beyond contract
5.5   Conclusion
6. Keeping time: Working hours, time off, and autonomy 6.1   Working hours 6.1.1 Stand-by hours
6.2   Days of, annual holiday, and individual autonomy
6.3   Conclusion
7. Money matters: Wages and social security 7.1   Minimum Wage 
7.2   Social security
7.3   Conclusion
8. Domestic workers’ perspectives 8.1   Self-perception of domestic workers
8.2   Working together
9. Conclusion and recommendations 9.1   Recommendations 9.1.1 Employment relations
9.1.2 Migration/immigration status and domestic work
9.1.3 Change of culture around domestic work
Bibliography
Annexes
Contents

URL

http://www.ilo.org/asia/whatwedo/publications/WCMS_537808/lang--en/index.htm
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