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Servants of Globalization

From the “Servants of Globalization,” it is clear that the major cause of migration among the Filipinos is the need to find jobs that are able to sustain their families. This is the reason they are willing to travel to different parts of the world being segregated from the children and their nuclear families. The case of Nene who has been a domestic worker for long shows that people have needs which make them take on the great risks of working in a foreign country performing menial jobs such as cleaning, cooking and taking care of children (Parreñas 5). Therefore, with the increase in globalization aspects of division of labor and welfare of the employees has risen.

The greatest problem associated with the movement of domestic workers is the fact that they remain as foreigners in another country. This is because they are not protected by their countries and are not considered the residents of the particular country they work in. this is the reason why in the face of problems they may face discrimination or low wages. In the case of Nene, she changed her Job and went to Denmark where she was able to secure a job with les responsibilities and at the same time a better pay. She was used to working until 10pm midnight but in this new job she only works for 30 hours in a week(Parreñas 7). The migration to these different countries is caused by the growing need for women to have their children taken care of as technology and globalization have increased the number of responsibilities on the parents.

Globalization and the growth of market economies have increased the extent to which the laborers can work to international level (Parreñas 15). This is because there is a growing international transfer especially of the reproductive domestic workers. In developed countries such as Denmark the parents are involved in their jobs and hence cannot have the time to effectively take care of their children. This is the reason why the domestic workers such as those from Philippines are of great help. They are supposed to keep the houses in a standard that the other woman wants it to be. This means taking care of the children, instilling morals in them as well as cleaning and cooking.

Majority of the people working in international domestic jobs are women. This is because traditionally and from the past, women have been seen as the people who should sit at homes to bear and care for the children. However, in this case, women in developed economies are supposed to work and complement on the family salaries. Therefore, they need a replacement at home who is a woman to replace them in their chores. This is the major reason why in Philippines the number of working class women is increasing(Parreñas 78). Some are in the domestic jobs in different countries such as Italy and United States. This means that the privileged women in a position to purchase the household services of the domestic workers.

The main problem that is facing the domestic workers in their immigration processes is that that there is racism as well as class differentiation when it comes to accessing jobs in the transnational economy. The less-privileged are seen as easier targets to perform jobs which are low paying as well as with little freedom. At one instant Nene describes the Singapore employer to have been cruel. She was a person who monitored her physical movements and could only eat food from the refrigerator when the employer says so(Parreñas 16). This shows the reason why discrimination of those working in these foreign countries continues.

The main reason why the Filipinos are moving to the foreign countries to work in household jobs is because they have to help sustain their families. The family structure in Philippines is maintained by a strong bond in the family as well as piety(Parreñas88). This is because the family is raised to care for the needs of each other. This is the reason why migration has been mostly targeting women who have to labor hard to ensure that their family members are well fed and receive all the necessities.

Women have also become the majority of domestic workers because with the growing globalization marriages have become threatened. This leads to divorce or single parents who must take care of the dependents. In most cases, the women have no skills or professionals that they can hold onto. This makes them to leave their abusive or unfaithful husbands and look for other methods of raising their children (Parreñas 145). This shows the continued and changing role that women have to carry now. In the past, women were supposed to be provided for. They were required to stay at home and take care of the children. They were not required to gain formal education since the household jobs did not require such knowledge. For this reason, in the instance of divorce they are left with the same responsibility of bringing up the children but this time round they lack the finances and resources.

The most disturbing outcome of migration of the domestic workers is that they are separated from their children. They are given responsibilities of caring for the young ones who call their parents “Mama” which reminds them of the children they left at home and their relations. The pain of seeing a child after several years of separation is painful. At one instant a mother who left the last child at five years meets her daughter at nine years and still wants to be carried (Parreñas 15). This is the pain of globalization and domestic workers have been in the families. As the rich people are binding their strong bonds and maintaining their families, the poor are constantly being separated with international distances. The main reason is to seek the higher wages because the salary of a domestic worker in Philippines is lower compared to the other countries.

Women can be changers of the societies as they selflessly render their services for the better and growth of families. They are however, faced with challenges such as increase in the cost of migration. Every person wants to work in a place where they are provided with the best conditions to work as well as a better pay. However, there is a growing new business that takes advantage of these workers. The migration fees have increased and this has rendered some domestic workers ineligible to travel to some countries. In countries such as Israel where pay is good, the placement fees are as high as $5,000 which may be a problem for some people to rise (Parreñas 74). This makes the conditions difficult for the domestic workers. Canada is also a country with great pay and better conditions but the travel fees are high as well.

In conclusion, globalization has led to what can be referred to as division of labor. This is where there are clear defined roles between different races and social classes. The developed nations have increasingly become a place where both parents have to work to maintain their families. On the other hand, countries such as Philippines where family bonds have remained strong have become easier targets for domestic workers. They have travelled far and wide to perform jobs such as cleaning and cooking to earn a living and maintain their families back at home. The result is the rising numbers of women who are leaving their families and travelling to search for a better pay to maintain their children.

References

Parreñas, Rhacel. Servants of globalization: Migration and domestic work. Stanford University Press, 2015.