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Raw deal for women migrant employees Increasing numbers of women in Asia are migrating to cities and travelling abroad in search of new opportunities. They, however, face many hurdles such as poor working conditions, limited career progression, and lack of access to information and services as well as exclusion from policymaking processes. Research into these gender-based issues across Asia aims to identify strategies to improve the livelihoods and well-being of women. IN SEARCH OF JOBS: A study by the International Development Research Centre has assessed the factors behind the decisions of Chinese women to migrate within the country and the working and living conditions they experience. As a result, proposals for legal and policy reforms to improve their circumstances have been made. In the case of many Indonesian women migrating to work in oil-rich Middle Eastern countries it has been found that they often end up in unskilled and unregulated jobs, with unpaid overtime, poor working conditions and often facing violence. The study will suggest ways in which their rights can be protected as well as how they can find decent employment. GENDER AND THE CAREER LADDER: A project by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, in a first study to investigate demographic factors on employee career progression, analysed the role of gender in career advancement of 158 engineers from ten multinational manufacturing companies in northern Peninsula Malaysia. The findings showed that rising up the career ladder was related to gender, supervisor’s support and length of time in service. Women in male-dominated professions, especially such as engineering, were subjected to pressures to perform, besides facing social isolation and stereotyping.
TRAPPED BY SEXUAL DEMANDS: The numbers of women migrating in search of economic opportunities related to fishing are rising in many parts of the world. Estimates from The WorldFish Center for nine of the major fish producing countries suggest that 46 per cent of the pre- and post-harvest labour force in small-scale capture fisheries is made up of women. In Africa women travel to remote fishing camps in order to purchase fish and often engage in transactional sex. This is a complex issue and it is unclear whether women are forced into selling their bodies through poverty or if they choose it to reduce the price of the transaction. It is unclear whether this is an occupational hazard to cope with fish scarcity or increased demand, or a longstanding arrangement in these societies geared to building and maintaining personalised networks. The downside, however, is an increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection, and female sufferers may endure social stigma, marginalisation and increased poverty resulting from unemployment as well as having to pay for medical costs. The WorldFish Center has developed a model for sustainable solutions that will also restrict the threat of HIV/AIDS in fishery communities by promoting trader associations and funding to help women market traders to stabilise their business. Women, moreover, often have less access than men to information, services and healthcare. A sustainable solution will also involve raising awareness about HIV/AIDS issues. FISHER WOMEN HAVE LITTLE SAY: In the fisheries sector women are rarely involved in the decisionmaking process at the household, community, regional or national levels. Women who hold any leadership positions in community-based fisheries management committees are often the wives of male leaders. In a study of six sites in Cambodia by The WorldFish Center women identified their priority needs as reduced illiteracy, better healthcare, livelihood capacity, increased capabilities, and greater support from men in sharing household tasks so that they can participate in community-based management. Addressing gender inequity issues by improving women’s income, educational levels and their access to decision-making processes will improve their capabilities. Countries with greater gender equity have noticeably reached higher levels of economic growth and social well-being. For further information contact: Migration in China and Indonesia: Isabelle Bourgeault-Tasse International Development Research Centre, Canada Email: ibourgeault-tasse@idrc.ca Women in Asian small scale fishing communities: The WorldFish Center Email: worldfishcenter@cgiar.org Gender issues in career advancement: Dr Lo May Chiun Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Email: mclo@feb.unimas.my